© Getty Images2024 Las Vegas Grand PrixviewUnder the neon glow, the Strip becomes the ultimate racetrack – welcome to Las Vegas!
“The slightly longer break since Brazil means I’ve had time to move house and I also had a couple of simulator sessions to prepare for this final triple-header of the season. It’s an unusual track, very long for a street circuit, with mainly slow corners, so the car set-up is a compromise between having enough downforce to help with heavy braking at the end of the three long straights and to have good traction out of the turns, while also not having so much drag it affects your top speed on the very fast straights. It gets very cold at night, so one of the main challenges is keeping the brakes and tyres in the right operating window on a long stint in the race and also on a flying lap in qualifying. Last year, there was plenty of off-track activity involving the drivers, so I’m interested to see what the organisers have planned for us this time!“
It gets very cold at night, so one of the main challenges is keeping the brakes and tyres in the right operating window
Yuki Tsunoda "I can’t wait to race in Vegas, it’s an iconic place, with a very unique track. It looks quite tricky with a lot of combined braking zones in places. It’s a fast track; obviously we drive down the strip with a very long straight, which allows for some overtaking. It looks like it’s going to be quite cold conditions, similar to last year, so it’s going to be a challenge for sure, but I’m super pumped to be racing under the lights. I was there last year watching and wishing I was driving, so it’s an exciting feeling going into the week knowing I’ll be in the car this time.”
JodyEgginton(TechnicalDirector)
“We now head to Las Vegas for the first leg of the final triple-header of the season with the battle for the Constructors’ Championship positions still very close. The Las Vegas venue is a relatively new one, having first appeared on the calendar last year. The race takes place at night on a street circuit that includes parts of the famous Las Vegas Strip and is the third of three Grands Prix held in the USA this year. At 6.2 kilometres in length and with 17 corners and a 1.9 km straight, there are plenty of challenges for drivers and engineers. The circuit is a temporary one, so grip levels are generally low and although there is some evolution during the event, grip remains at a premium forming part of the challenges the drivers have to face at this venue. The track layout pushes teams to remove downforce, targeting high efficiency, hence seeking a tow can form part of making an overtake, while the section from turn 6 through to turn 9 offers enough space for drivers to pass, as does turn 17, if the driver has enough confidence under braking. Following on from recent events, our expectation is to be very much in the midfield battle, fighting in what will be an intensive end to the season.”
