George Russell and Carlos Sainz said the Las Vegas Grand Prix should be followed by an off weekend for Formula 1, given the challenges posed by its race schedule.
The race in Las Vegas takes place at 10pm local time, running until nearly midnight on a timetable that represents a swing of roughly 12 hours compared to the European time zone the teams are arriving from. This year it was also the first of three consecutive race weekends, and with the paddock making its way to Qatar for the next round, Russell believes the newest race could be given more room on the calendar.
“Obviously, it’s not great timing at all for the people who are here,” Russell said. “But we’re 20 drivers, let’s say 4,000 people who do all the F1 races collectively. And there’s tens of millions of people who watch at home.
“So I’d probably say having it back-to-back with Qatar is the biggest challenge. If we have a week off afterwards, I’d say that’s probably the only thing realistically that would help.”
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Thursday and Friday’s running in Vegas was brought forward by two hours compared to 2023 and Sainz says that made a difference, but he still would also like to see the race itself take place at an earlier time as well as not be paired with other events.
“I think it’s been a step forward compared to last year,” Sainz said. “I feel like last year, F1, if anything, was trying a bit too hard to put on too much of a show. It got a bit too much away from Formula 1 and too much into Vegas style. I feel like this year we’ve just been more normal, doing our own thing, and it’s been a success. It just shows the Formula 1 product works and you don’t need to try too hard.
“I’d bring the race a couple hours earlier if I could. I think it would help everyone in the paddock, everyone that does the job in this sport. It would put everyone in a healthier, better mood through the weekend.
“So a couple of hours earlier for the race and timings and not a back-to-back with Qatar. That’s what I would ask everyone as the next step. For the rest — great circuit to put on a good race, great for overtaking, challenging track. I wouldn’t change anything, just those two details. And I think everything will be better.”
Lewis Hamilton also acknowledged the challenges that team members face with the schedule, but he was full of praise for the event delivered in Las Vegas in its second year.
“The back-to-back is not the easiest,” Hamilton said. “It’s massively challenging for everyone here, and particularly for the people that work in the garages that are on their feet taking the car to pieces, packing it up and shipping it over, and they won’t get a lot of rest. So for them, it’s definitely the hardest; but they love it and [I think[ if you were to ask them to change it, they would do this 10 times over.
“But the actual race is absolutely fantastic. It’s such a great event. They’ve really, really done a mega job this year. So I can’t wait to come back next year.”
Next year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix is already confirmed as taking place on Nov. 22, again as the first race in a tripleheader of weekends also featuring Qatar and Abu Dhabi.