MotorMouth
by Catherine Bruce
The 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix, racing on the 18th of November, is fast approaching us after more than 40 years absent from the F1 calendar. So ahead of this historical weekend, here is your ultimate guide, from the track to the troubles.
Previously hosted entirely within the car park of the Ceasars Palace casino, the new track now runs through the streets of Vegas, passing famous landmarks including the aforementioned Caesars Palace, as well as the Bellagio and the newly ponded MSG Sphere. The 6.12km track also includes a 2km straight running down the Las Vegas strip, 2 additional straights and 14 corners. Additionally, there is a chicane section, high-speed cornering sequence and 2 DRS zones, which should provide the drivers with some excellent overtaking opportunities. With a top speed of over 340km/h, this makes the circuit on of the quickest on the F1 calendar, comparable to the ‘Temple of Speed’, otherwise known as Italy’s Autodromo Nazionale Monza.
A fan favourite for this race seems to be Williams, with their FW45 demonstrating phenomenal speed on the straights this season, and there is major hope amongst F1 Fans to see Alex Albon up on the podium. Max Verstappen and Red Bull are of course also favourites for this race and are expected to claim yet another victory to add to their record-breaking season.
In a recent interview Verstappen jested, “Last time I played the track on the F1 game I hit more walls than going straight!”, so maybe this will be a prime opportunity for someone to steal the win from the current World Champion.
A rather controversial feature of this track is the design of the pitlane. Pictures were recently released showing the pit lane exit emerging at the bend of turn 1, with drivers leaving the pits required to stick to the left-hand side of the track. However, drivers already on track and entering that turn will naturally want to take the racing line, remaining as close to the inside of the turn as possible. This could see them crossing over into the pit exit and potentially causing a collision.
On top of this, expected cold temperatures of as low as 12°C may mean that cars exiting the pits on fresh tyres may struggle to get the temperatures up quickly, resulting in low grip, which will make the car more difficult to manoeuvre.
Other controversies coming from this grand prix before it’s even happened include extortionate ticket prcies (which have now been lowered as they weren’t selling), traffic congestion plaguing the city for months due to construction work for the race and views of the track being purposely obstructed if businesses do not pay a fee to Formula 1.
What is certain is that, regardless of its controversies, it is shaping up to be a very exciting weekend, and remember, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!
Follow MotorMouth on social media:
