Las Vegas Grand Prix

The Saturday night spectacle

F1’s biggest commercial showpiece. The race runs late on Saturday night (qualifying on Friday) to land in US prime-time and European Sunday morning broadcast windows. The track loops down the Las Vegas Strip itself, past the Bellagio fountains and Caesars Palace, with a temporary pit complex built into a permanent purpose-built paddock.

Why it matters

F1 owns and runs this race directly (not through a local promoter), making it the sport’s largest single financial investment in any single event. The 2023 inaugural race had a tough start (a manhole cover destroyed Sainz’s Ferrari in FP1); the 2024 race delivered the show F1 wanted.

What to watch for

• The Strip itself: the long DRS straight is the second-longest of the year after Baku. Top speeds over 350 km/h.
• Cold conditions: November in Las Vegas at midnight is genuinely cold. Tyre temperatures are a major variable; out-laps are slower than usual.
• The visual: broadcast cameras catch the city lights as cars accelerate past. There is genuinely nothing else like it in F1.