Las Vegas rules out future F1 sprint
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The Las Vegas Grand Prix will not be switching to a sprint format as officials believe that it is not feasible.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Las Vegas Grand Prix organisers have ruled out following Formula One’s other United States races in Austin and Miami and switching to a sprint format.
The 100km sprint race, a day before the main event, is aimed at providing more entertainment for fans but the Las Vegas GP is already held on a Saturday and in 2023 featured more overtaking than any other round.
F1’s chief commercial officer Emily Prazer told reporters, ahead of the second edition of the night race down the famed Strip on Nov 24, that a sprint had been considered and rejected.
“I think one of the big takeaways from last year is how insanely good the racing was,” she said.
“We’re quite comfortable letting Austin and Miami keep the sprint, because we’ve got so much more happening anyway and we’re in a really good place.”
The US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas is at a purpose-built circuit while Miami uses the Hard Rock Stadium complex owned by the National Football League’s Miami Dolphins.
Prazer also said the Las Vegas circuit needed to be opened and closed at 42 locations in the day.
“I think adding a sprint would also create a nervousness of, can we fix the track fast enough if something was to happen?” she added.
“I was in Singapore with the race and chatting to the promoter and they were like ‘We don’t understand how you open and close the track the way you do’. They keep the roads closed for seven days.
“Can you imagine us, the council keeping the roads closed for seven days? It would just literally never happen, ever.”
Separately, Las Vegas GP chief executive Renee Wilm said the calendar slot, with Miami in May and Austin in October, was a good fit.
Las Vegas is a potential title decider this season, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen 62 points clear of McLaren’s Lando Norris and three races remaining.
“We are a lot of glamour and glitz, as Miami is, and having us separate on the calendar I do think is a good thing. While Austin is a very different market,” said Wilm.
In other news, Sergio Perez said that he rejected opportunities from two other Formula One teams to stay at Red Bull for the 2025 season.
The Mexican, 34, signed an extension earlier in 2024 but has come under intense scrutiny while falling to eighth in the drivers’ standings.
While teammate Verstappen is closing in on a fourth consecutive championship, the team have dropped to third in the constructors’ standings, with Perez recording only 48 points over the past 15 races.
“I had an opportunity, two opportunities, to change teams,” he said, without disclosing which teams approached him.
“When I looked at it, I thought, I really love the challenge I have at Red Bull. It’s a massive challenge being Max’s teammate. It’s a challenge that basically trains you for all of it.
“So, I said I want to spend my last part of my career at the top, at the very top, where the pressure is full-on.” REUTERS
