Las Vegas Strip Circuit
 Grand Prix Circuit (2023–present) | |
| Location | Paradise, Nevada, United States |
|---|---|
| Time zone | UTC−08:00 |
| Coordinates | 36°06′36″N 115°09′44″W / 36.10995°N 115.16217°W |
| Capacity | 100,000 |
| FIA Grade | 1 (Grand Prix) |
| Broke ground | March 2022 |
| Opened | November 16, 2023 |
| Architect | Carsten Tilke |
| Major events | Current: Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix (2023–present) |
| Grand Prix Circuit (2023–present) | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 3.853 miles (6.201 km) |
| Turns | 17 |
| Race lap record | 1:35.490 ( Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL60, 2023, F1) |
The Las Vegas Strip Circuit is a street circuit around parts of the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, immediately adjacent to Las Vegas, Nevada. It winds through the streets of the city and comprises the Las Vegas Strip, a section of Las Vegas Boulevard that is home to the city's major hotels and casinos. It incorporates some of the most notable landmarks of the city, including the Sphere, Caesars Palace, Bellagio, and Paris Las Vegas.
Designed by Carsten Tilke, the son of Formula One circuit designer Hermann Tilke,[1] [2][3] the circuit broke ground in March 2022 and opened on November 16, 2023, during the weekend of the first Las Vegas Grand Prix.
History
[edit]This circuit has been designed to incorporate part of Las Vegas Boulevard, widely known as the Las Vegas Strip. The cars pass several local landmarks that are illuminated at night. The city has given Formula One permission to use the roads required for the race for ten years. When the race was announced in March 2022, the track layout featured 14 corners. It was later revised with the addition of a chicane, bringing the number of corners to 17.[4]
Layout
[edit]The 3.853 mi (6.201 km)[5] street circuit runs counterclockwise and features 17 corners and a 1.2 mi (1.9 km) straight.[6][7] It starts in a former parking lot which has been bought by Formula One for $240 million and developed into the pits and paddock area, and now contains permanent part of the circuit.[8] The first corner is a hairpin, and after that the course bends slightly left and then into a fast right, transitioning from the permanent circuit to city streets. The cars go 0.5 mi (0.8 km)[citation needed] down Koval Lane before entering a slow 90-degree right turn and then entering a long, sweeping left turn which encircles the new Sphere arena, before going through a left–right twisty section (a change from the initial design)[9] and then a slightly faster-left turn which transitions onto Sands Avenue. The track then goes through two high-speed bends on Sands Avenue before entering a slow left turn onto Las Vegas Boulevard, otherwise known as the Las Vegas Strip.[10] The 1.2 mi (1.9 km) flat-out section with two straights and a slight sweeping left curve goes past some of Las Vegas's most famous hotels and casinos. The circuit then goes through a tight series of three slow corners onto Harmon Avenue, down a 0.5 mi (0.8 km)[citation needed] straight before going through a fast left bend to complete the lap and transition back to the permanent part of the circuit after the pits.[11]
The maximum speed recorded in a 2023 Formula One car was 217.8 mph (350.5 km/h), established at the end of the Las Vegas Strip.[12]
Alleged attempt to prevent circuit certification
[edit]On March 5, 2024, several months after the inaugural 2023 race at the track, the BBC reported that FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem had allegedly tried to pressure race officials into not certifying the circuit in time for the race. This came the day after it was announced that Sulayem had also been placed under FIA investigation for allegedly persuading stewards to overturn a penalty given to Fernando Alonso at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.[13][14] However, on March 20, 2024, the FIA announced it had cleared Ben Sulayem of any wrongdoing.[15]
Events
[edit]- Current
Lap records
[edit]As of November 2023, the fastest official race lap record at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit is listed as:
| Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Event | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Prix Circuit: 3.853 miles (6.201 km) (2023–present) | |||||
| Formula One | 1:35.490[16] | Oscar Piastri | McLaren MCL60 | 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix | |
References
[edit]- ^ "Las Vegas Strip Circuit - Racing Circuits". RacingCircuits.info. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ "Tilke duo describe the challenges of Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit design". November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
- ^ Wilde, Jon (August 27, 2021). "Jeddah to be 'one of the world's best circuits'". PlanetF1. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ Wood, Keith Collantine, Will (September 2, 2022). "F1's Las Vegas track layout changed by addition of new chicane". RaceFans. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix – Event Notes – Circuit Map V3" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ "F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix Track Facts". Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ "Las Vegas Strip Street Circuit – Racing Circuits". Archived from the original on November 27, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ "Why F1 is spending $240m on a Las Vegas construction plot". us.motorsport.com. May 16, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
- ^ "F1's Las Vegas track layout changed by the addition of new chicane". RaceFans.net. September 3, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
- ^ "Las Vegas Grand Prix: How a plan 40 years in the making finally came to fruition". BBC Sport. November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ "Las Vegas Grand Prix track layout: Check out the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit's layout". Formula1.com. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ "Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023 – Race Maximum Speeds" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. November 18, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
- ^ Benson, Andrew (March 5, 2024). "Mohammed Ben Sulayem: FIA president allegedly told officials not to certify Las Vegas GP". BBC Sport. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ King, Ryan Erik (March 5, 2024). "FIA President Tried To Cancel F1's Las Vegas Race With Fixed Track Inspection: Whistleblower". Jalopnik. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/68621272
- ^ "Las Vegas Strip Circuit". Formula1.com. November 18, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2023.