Las Vegas F1 Grand Prix: Schedule, Favorites, and Weekend Highlights

Attention Formula 1 fanatics! Las Vegas is preparing to once again host the Grand Prix, promising strong emotions and an unparalleled spectacle. This will be the third Grand Prix in the Mojave Desert under this format. In the previous edition, Max Verstappen celebrated his fourth F1 world title.

The Championship Fight

The competition for this year’s championship is more fierce. Current leader Lando Norris seeks his first title, while Verstappen and Oscar Piastri will try to prevent it.

Weather and Schedules

The time change means that the race weekend will start a day earlier than usual. Practice will take place on Thursday night and the race on Saturday night (local time). Cooler temperatures are forecast, with daytime highs of 14°C on Thursday and Friday, rising to 18°C on Saturday. Nighttime temperatures will drop to around 12°C. In addition, there is a chance of light rain on Thursday and Friday night, while Saturday is expected to be dry.

The Championship in the Red ZoneLando Norris leads the standings with a 24-point advantage over his teammate, Oscar Piastri. Max Verstappen is 49 points behind Norris and 25 behind Piastri.

This Week’s Highlights

• F1 Title: Where will the championship be decided? Qatar or Abu Dhabi?

• Hakkinen joins McLaren: Ella Hakkinen, daughter of two-time Formula 1 world champion Mika Hakkinen, joins McLaren’s driver development program.

• F1 Academy: A new agreement has been signed that commits the teams to the F1 Academy, with the incorporation of Cadillac from 2027.

Circuits and Statistics

The Las Vegas circuit, which incorporates city landmarks such as the Strip and the Sphere, and passes by well-known hotels and casinos. The Las Vegas Grand Prix debuted in 1981, taking place for two years. The circuit, known as the Caesars Palace Grand Prix, was located in the parking lot of the casino hotel. The race returned to the F1 calendar in 2023, with an approximate cost of 500 million dollars. This street circuit is one of the few night races, including the famous Strip and other emblematic points such as the Bellagio and the Sphere.

Las Vegas Grand Prix

• Circuit: Las Vegas Strip Circuit; Las Vegas, Nevada

• First F1 race: 2023

• Lap record: 1:34.876, Norris (2024)

• Laps: 50 laps of 6.2 km

• Previous winners: Verstappen (2023), George Russell (2024)

• Previous pole positions: Charles Leclerc (2023), Russell (2024)

What’s special about the circuit

“It’s Vegas, baby. This is about the show”.

Logan Sargeant

What happened last year

Max Verstappen clinched his fourth world title, while George Russell and Lewis Hamilton led a 1-2 for Mercedes. Verstappen only needed to finish ahead of Lando Norris to secure the drivers’ championship, finishing fifth, one position ahead of Norris, who obtained the extra point for the fastest lap. Hamilton finished 7.5 seconds behind Russell after starting from tenth on the grid, and Carlos Sainz finished third.