Formula 1 teams have lifted the lid on their preparations for the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix, including whether team staff will be allowed to enter casinos over the weekend, as Sin City hosts the last of three American races for the season.
It’s F1‘s first trip to Las Vegas since the disastrous two Caesars Palace GP in the 1980s, held in a baking-hot car park at high afternoon, and the sport is clearly determined to make a better show of it this time around.
Senior figures at F1 and Liberty believe the race will make around £100 million per edition, and it’s already seen a contract extension for ten races ending in 2032, with the race taking place on Saturday night instead of Sunday.
“I think very exciting to go there, it’s a Mount Everest to climb I think for Liberty organising that, you’ve got to take your hat off,” Wolff told the media. “Not only doing it first time but also in a city that is complex to navigate I guess, and I’m very much looking forward to it.
“As a midnight race we don’t know what the temperature is going to bring but in any case, it will be entertaining. We don’t know how we’re going to travel from hotel to the track but I’m sure we’re going to find a solution, I’m very excited.
“I’ve never been to Vegas so we’re going to keep everybody out of the casinos. I don’t play, so I’m going to make sure that nobody plays.”
Krack: Las Vegas offers plenty of distractions
Mike Krack has overseen a successful 2023 for Aston Martin despite a steep dropoff in form in the second half of the season, as the team have scored just two podiums since the summer break.
It could be a difficult weekend with the Las Vegas Strip Circuit expected to play away from the low-speed strengths of the AMR23, but Krack insisted that doesn’t take away from the event.
“We are quite excited about what’s going on there,” Krack said. “The efforts that are being put in is just incredible, when you see the infrastructure that’s in place.
“Las Vegas itself will be a lot of distractions, it’s important to focus on the track. And I think the track has been designed maybe also to promote overtaking to promote a good show.
“It’s great that we go there and I think F1 will just grow from it, but I shared Toto’s concern about how we get there.”
