Why Is the Las Vegas GP Being Held During Ungodly Hours on a Saturday?

To answer this question, we must answer another question: Why is the Las Vegas GP even being held? Simple. It’s the money. The first season of Netflix’s revolutionary Drive to Survive was released in 2019, and ever since, the impact of F1 in America has snowballed into hosting the extravagant race on the Vegas strip in November. But while F1 wanted to attract and cater to its new audience, they don’t want to forget their loyal fans.

And so, being available to both their benefactors, F1 has decided to host the race in the late hours of Saturday evening, which will be convenient for their European audience, who will be waking up at 6 am to watch the race. The main event will start at 11 pm local time, with things wrapping up around 1 am if things go to plan.

CEO Renee Wilm explained this decision, “That was actually a compromise to make sure we are broadcasting at a time when our European fans can get up with a cup of coffee and watch the race six, seven in the morning, very similar to how we [in the US] watch the European races.”

Maximizing every opportunity in the true American spirit, the event is projected to contribute a heavy $1.3 billion to the local economy. That is a lot of money. In fact, America’s first love, the NFL, won’t be able to match these figures with its Superbowl LVIII scheduled in Sin City.

Problems with the Las Vegas GP timings

With the motive of this event very evidently being money, the circuit has already faced many problems ahead of its inaugural race. With hospitality workers on strike, and grandstands yet to be filled up, what is supposed to be the greatest spectacle in F1 is looking very deflated for now. However, while people are scraping for solutions to these problems, one issue might ruin the entire extravaganza.

While the intentions behind these timings are justified, one must remember we are racing in November, in America, at 11 pm. The temperatures are going to be down to the single digits as F1 gears up for what could be the coldest race in its history with projected temperatures of 4° C on Saturday.

F1 tires are made to grip well when they’re hot. Teams take extra measures to make sure the tires are up to temperature, around 70° C, to be precise. On the track, drivers make sure the stores get hot for the best grip during fast laps. F1 chief for Pirelli explains it best: “These compounds are designed to generate the grip at high temperature, let’s say above 80 degrees. At a cold temperature, you have very low grip.”

The low grip makes it easier for drivers to make mistakes, especially while turning. The track has 17 corners and even though there aren’t many difficult braking zones, the walls close to the street track will prove costly with the slightest error.

With grip all over the place, even drivers are worried about the challenge they are going to face this weekend. If nothing goes to plan, we gear up for some NHL style ice-skating on the Vegas strip!