F1 Drivers Call for Schedule Change at Las Vegas GP, Want Race as Standalone Event
Formula 1 drivers are advocating for schedule changes to the Las Vegas Grand Prix, particularly requesting it not be part of back-to-back race weekends due to its unique timing challenges.
F1 night circuit aerial view
The Las Vegas race, running until midnight local time, creates a significant 12-hour time zone adjustment for teams arriving from Europe. While the event itself has received praise, drivers are concerned about the impact on team personnel and performance.
George Russell emphasizes that while the timing affects roughly 4,000 F1 personnel, the main issue is pairing Vegas with Qatar in back-to-back weekends. He suggests adding a recovery week afterward would significantly help.
Carlos Sainz proposes two key improvements:
- Moving the race time earlier by a few hours
- Removing it from back-to-back scheduling with Qatar
Lewis Hamilton, while acknowledging the schedule's challenges for garage staff, praised the event's second-year execution, stating it's "absolutely fantastic" and a "mega job."
Despite these concerns, the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix is already scheduled for November 22, remaining part of a triple-header with Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
The 2024 event showed improvements from its inaugural year, with Thursday and Friday sessions moved forward by two hours. Sainz noted this year's more traditional F1 approach worked better than 2023's entertainment-heavy format, proving "the Formula 1 product works and you don't need to try too hard."