Everything to know about the Las Vegas Grand Prix including track stats and previous winners

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The Las Vegas Grand Prix joined the Formula 1 calendar from the 2023 season. It is also the latest showcase event for F1’s owners, Liberty Media, after taking on promoting the round.

Local promoters normally arrange Grands Prix, but Liberty Media took a hands-on attitude to securing Formula 1’s return to Las Vegas. The series had not raced in Nevada since the 1982 Caesars Palace GP. But the 2023 Las Vegas GP also saw F1 hold its first race along the Strip.

It was the first race where Liberty Media also acted as a promoter since the American media company bought Formula 1 in 2016. The Colorado-based group also paid $240m (£189m) to buy land east of the Strip in 2022 for a huge permanent pit building, garages and hospitality.

What is the Las Vegas Strip Circuit like?

The Las Vegas Strip Circuit did not please Verstappen much when the Red Bull ace first hit it in 2023. After FP2, Verstappen bluntly said ‘No’ when asked if he enjoyed driving on the Las Vegas Strip Circuit consisting of three long straights plus a flat-out area in the middle sector.

But the 17-corner circuit along part of the Strip allows for top speeds close to those seen at the Italian GP at Monza. Oscar Piastri during his rookie season with McLaren set the fastest lap of the 2023 Las Vegas GP at 1:35.490 with an average speed of 233.7kph (145.2mph).

Overtakes are also possible into the heavy-braking zones of Turns 1, 5, 12 and 14. Ferrari ace Charles Leclerc also overtook Red Bull racer Perez for P2 twice at the 2023 Las Vegas GP at T14. While Mercedes pilot George Russell hit Verstappen as the Red Bull racer dived at T12.

Winners of the F1 Las Vegas GP

History of the F1 Las Vegas GP

Formula 1 hosted the inaugural Las Vegas GP in 2023 for the series’ return to Sin City after a 41-year absence. The pinnacle of motorsport had raced in Nevada before in 1981 and 1982. But the 2023 event was the first as the Las Vegas GP after two Caesars Palace Grand Prix.

The 2023 Las Vegas GP also saw Formula 1 race along part of Sin City’s famous Strip for the first time. Caesars Palace held its two Grand Prix during the 1980s in the hotel’s car park. It led to lacklustre races with small crowds. A few drivers also struggled with heat exhaustion.

Liberty Media sought to make the Las Vegas GP a showcase event for Formula 1, though. So, it worked with Las Vegas to close off a part of the Strip for a night race that passes alongside Vegas’ monuments. It is also among Formula 1’s fastest street tracks, being mainly straights.

But staging the debut Las Vegas GP as a night race raised unusual issues for Formula 1. The race started at 22:00 on a Saturday night for a Sunday 06:00 start time in the UK. Yet having the race so late in the day meant the track temperatures were down at around a mere 13°C.

A water valve cover destroyed Carlos Sainz’s car at the ‘99% show’ first Las Vegas GP

Drivers struggled to find grip through most of the practice sessions, qualifying and even the start of the race. The circuit also threw up another problem within the opening minutes of FP1 when a water valve cover became loose and it destroyed the Ferrari car of Carlos Sainz.

A water valve cover destroying Sainz’s SF-23 also destroyed his hopes for winning the 2023 Las Vegas GP within eight minutes of FP1. Ferrari had to replace the Spaniard’s battery, ICE and control electronics. Sainz would also receive a 10-place grid penalty for his new battery.

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur called it ‘unacceptable’ for a drain cover to hit Sainz’s car. But the stewards held no force majeure clause to void the Spaniard’s grid drop. McLaren CEO Zak Brown also backed voiding Sainz’s ‘unfair’ grid penalty at the 2023 Las Vegas GP.

The 2023 Las Vegas GP also got off to a shaky start before a car hit the track. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen hit out at Liberty Media after making it ‘99% show and 1% sporting event’. He took aim at the pre-race launch party where Kylie Minogue and John Legend performed.

Verstappen’s mood improved after he won the debut Las Vegas Grand Prix in 2023, though. He sang Viva Las Vegas on Red Bull’s radio and also agreed to join teammate Sergio Perez in wearing Elvis Presley-inspired overalls. The Las Vegas GP also proved to be a chaotic round.

A lack of early grip due to the cold temperatures saw Sainz spin after hitting the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton. The Spaniard followed his compatriot Fernando Alonso by spinning into the first corner on Lap 1. Multiple safety cars thereafter would also help to keep the field tight.