The 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix was the first Formula 1 grand prix to not be held on a Sunday for 38 years, an arrangement that is being repeated this weekend.
On Saturday 23 November will be the second edition of the Las Vegas GP after its star-studded debut on the F1 calendar last year.
Kylie Minogue performed a concert, all 20 drivers partook in an opening ceremony along the start-finish straight, while Max Verstappen was eventually victorious in a race that featured 99 overtakes – the most of any grand prix since China in 2016.
It was an event that went against the grain. That was evidenced by the schedule, as traditionally F1 hosts its grand prix weekends from a Friday to Sunday.
Yet everything was a day earlier for Vegas, so why is this the case?
Why is the F1 race in Las Vegas on Saturday?
The Vegas GP schedule has been designed to be a happy medium between local fans and global viewers
Photo by: Erik Junius
The Las Vegas GP is on Saturday because of a bid from F1 to get as many global viewers as possible for its new, glamorous event.
Las Vegas, which sits in the western US state of Nevada, is eight hours behind the United Kingdom and nine behind central Europe and it being a night race makes the time difference complicated.
That’s because if F1 kept to its traditional schedule of holding the race on a Sunday with a 10pm start – a time that is currently in place – it would be a Monday morning in Europe meaning several fans are leaving for work, or education, rather than watching the grand prix.
There is of course the option of staging the race during daytime, but that was always a no-go for F1. Las Vegas is the self-styled entertainment capital of the world, so F1 wanted to host its grand prix during the city’s primetime meaning the skyline was vibrant with neon lights while cars raced down the world famous Strip with those at the track partying alongside.
On top of that, if the race was held just a few hours earlier, then the grand prix would be in the middle of the night for European viewers forcing many of them to watch the race on catch-up – so 6am GMT or 7am CET is a sensible enough time for non-American fans to watch.
F1 needs the Las Vegas GP to be a success because in a unique arrangement, it is also the event promoter and wants to maximise the return on its investment. Staging the event when it can attract as many viewers as possible will only help its cause.
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