F1 and Las Vegas GP commercial officer says sprint race is not on the cards for ‘Sin City.’
F1 returns for its final leg of 2024, kicked off by the glitzy and glamorous Las Vegas GP this weekend. Meanwhile, F1’s Chief Commercial Officer Emily Prazer recently spoke on the prospects of a sprint race in Las Vegas.
Prazer seemed uninterested in Las Vegas hosting a Formula One sprint at the moment.
“One of the big takeaways from last year is how insanely good the racing was. So I think we’re quite comfortable letting Austin [Circuit of The Americas] and Miami keep the Sprint because we’ve got so much more happening anyway and we’re in a really good place.”
On the talks of more happening, the Las Vegas weekend will also feature a support race this year. The Ferrari Challenge will take place on the same weekend as the F1 race. The one-make series runs on November 22nd and 23rd, alongside qualifying and the main Grand Prix on Saturday, free to attend for fans.
While support series are something to add to the bucket list, a Sprint race doesn’t look to be on the cards at Vegas. While Prazer referred to the speedy nature of the circuit, she even expressed the logistical challenges at hand. The Las Vegas street circuit is very different from others on the calendar, such as Singapore or even Monaco.
“They [Singapore] 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.”
This is only one of the hardships between Las Vegas and a sprint weekend. However, there’s also a good reason why Vegas could serve as the ideal Sprint location.
Why Las Vegas would be an ideal Sprint location
While Prazer highlights the racing at Las Vegas, this facet makes it an ideal Sprint location. Long straights into slow corners allow for plenty of overtakes to take place. The Las Vegas Strip served as a perfect overtaking spot during last year’s race, featuring a series of slow corners at the end of a nearly 2-kilometre-long straight.
The 50-lap race featured 99 overtakes in 2023, despite seven laps under the safety car. This was the most for a race since 2016. The race also featured an intriguing battle for the race lead. As many as three drivers led the race, as the Red Bull duo of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez duelled with the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc for victory. This battle came at the fag end of 2023, a year when the Red Bulls were ruthless in dominance.
In addition, the lower tyre degradation and long straights meant tyre wear wasn’t as big a concern. This allowed battles to last for multiple laps. One of them included the battle between Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez in the final stages of the race. Despite being on 30-lap old hard tyres, Leclerc was able to battle and close down the Mexican ahead, before a stellar overtake to pass the Red Bull on the last lap.
Pair the lower degradation with a much closer grid like in 2024, and there’s no doubt the race will live up to the hype. The action would be even more in a short and snappy 100-km sprint, with fewer opportunities to pass.
All this would only add to the spectacle that is the Las Vegas Grand Prix, and make it a weekend to remember for all. Not to mention, it would be a popular replacement for Miami who host a Sprint race.
Why Las Vegas wouldn’t be an ideal Sprint location
While the racing would certainly be the bait to take, the logistical challenges pose stiff concerns.
As Prazer highlighted, it would be impossible to close the roads like other street circuits. While the likes of Singapore have their roads closed for as long as seven days prior to a race weekend, such a thing would simply be impossible in a bustling city like Las Vegas. Business owners impacted would face further losses if roads were closed and access ways blocked. Several business owners already claimed to have lost millions in sales for several months due to the Grand Prix weekend.
There’s also the logistical challenge that comes with a Sprint weekend. As Prazer puts it, the Las Vegas Strip Circuit has as many as 46 openings. Adding a Sprint also increases the risk of incidents, with high-speed racing close to the barriers lap after lap. In the case of an incident, repair work would take up plenty of time, causing hardships and crippling traffic in the city.
“Adding a Sprint would also create a nervousness of, can we fix the track if something was to happen fast enough?”
The Las Vegas GP is also an anomaly on the F1 calendar. It doesn’t follow the regular format of a race weekend. With the race weekends running from Thursday to Saturday in Vegas time to air the race on Sunday across the world, fitting in a Sprint format would appear difficult.
Prazer also brings in a unique perspective on why Vegas wouldn’t need to host a Sprint.
“The race in itself essentially feels like a Sprint race.”
Max Verstappen won the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix in 89 minutes and eight seconds, despite two safety car interventions. Top speeds reach over 210 miles per hour, and average speeds were nearly 150 miles per hour in 2023. These statistics could make you wonder if Las Vegas is already quick enough to be considered a Sprint race.
A sprint in Las Vegas would certainly be fun to watch. However, Prazer’s words hold strong considering the sheer logistical challenges that await. As such, the pipe dream of a Vegas Sprint would certainly have to wait.
