The Las Vegas Grand Prix is the opening salvo of the final triple-header of the season, after which come Qatar and the championship finale in Abu Dhabi as usual. The Strip Circuit is also the last street circuit on this year's calendar.

The circuit was inaugurated in 2023, marking Formula 1's return to the Nevadan city 41 years on from the last time a race was staged there in the Caesars Palace parking lot. High speed is one of its stand-out features, with the average over a lap exceeding the 240 km/h mark. There's a short run to turn 1, a tight left hand hairpin, which is one of the best overtaking opportunities, followed by a slower, tighter section. After the turn 7 chicane, the track opens up into a section that's all about pure speed: the cars tackle turn 10 flat out, then turn 12 leading onto the 1.9 kilometre straight down the famous Strip, where the cars hit speeds of over 350 km/h before braking hard for turns 14, 15 and 16. From there it's just a short run to the finish line. The track is 6.201 kilometres long and on Saturday night, the drivers will lap it 50 times, making a total race distance of 309.958 km.

Night time in the Mojave desert can be surprisingly cold. At the previous two editions of this event, track temperatures struggled to get above 15 °C. However, the fact that this year's timetable has been brought forward could partly minimise the problem, with slightly warmer conditions. Getting tyres and brakes up into the right operating window will still be a considerable challenge. Last year, most teams went for a two-stop strategy, but it's not out of the question that different temperatures and degradation could also make a one-stop viable.

The Scuderia Ferrari HP drivers will be dressed in red for the Vegas weekend, but it will be something out of the ordinary. Charles and Lewis will wear suits, team kit and caps featuring three different shades of red to celebrate 20 years of collaboration with Puma, the team's partner since 2005. There will be the original burgundy, showcased at the Scuderia's 1000th Formula 1 Grand Prix - held at Mugello in 2020 -, the red of the 2007 car, which won the Drivers' title with Kimi Räikkönen, and the red of the F2008, which secured the Constructors' title the following season with the Finn and Felipe Massa.

This year's Las Vegas Grand Prix differs in one important way to previous editions in that all sessions have been brought forward by two hours. The decision taken by the FIA and Formula 1, is aimed at making life easier for drivers and personnel, prior to the long onward journey to the Middle East, which will get underway immediately after the race. It is also expected to make attending the event a more attractive proposition for American fans.

Fred Vasseur: Vegas is a unique event on the calendar: the atmosphere, the schedule, with the race taking place on Saturday night, and the track itself all make it something special. Over the past few events we have showed good speed and have been able to flight at the front, we will aim to repeate it this weekend. In Vegas, it will be particularly important to focus on all the specific challenges this circuit presents. Managing the tires in very low temperatures will once again be a key factor, as will reading the race correctly to identify the best strategic opportunities. As always, our focus is on ourselves, making sure we leave nothing on the table in terms of performance.

Ferrari in the United States

68 GP Contested
1952 Indianapolis 500 Miles (A. Ascari ret.)
14 (20.59%) Wins
18 (26.47%) Pole positions
16 (23.53%) Fastest laps
47 (23.04%) Podiums

Three questions to Antonino Mazzola - Tyre Engineer

What type of track is the Las Vegas Strip Circuit and what challenges does it throw up for the tyres?
Antonino Mazzola: At the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, sessions take place in the evening, so that low temperatures in the desert combined with the track surface not being very abrasive are certainly the biggest challenges as regards tyre performance. In qualifying, you want the driver to push harder on the out-lap to bring the tyres into the correct temperature window, however, this carries the risk of prematurely damaging the tread surface, which is already a delicate situation because of the low temperatures, which then results in a loss of grip on the flying lap. Therefore, it's not a given that teams will approach qualifying with one or two preparation laps and the key will be finding the right compromise between warm-up and degradation to maximise grip.

In the race, track temperature, low abrasiveness and the fact Pirelli is bringing a soft trio of compounds, the C3, C4 and C5, all combine to produce the perfect recipe for graining, the wear phenomenon in which small rubber pellets form on the tread surface, leading to a rapid drop in tyre performance, especially on the Soft compound.

This has to be watched very closely, even though this year the tyres have shown greater resistance to graining compared with previous seasons, and this will be an important factor to consider during free practice in Las Vegas in preparation for the race.

How will the fact that all sessions in Las Vegas have been brought forward by two hours this year change the picture?
AM: It is certainly a factor that will make track conditions less extreme and more predictable, with higher air and track temperatures and that will also help the track rubber-in better over the course of the weekend. However, we're not expecting a radical change in the limitations compared to last year and it will be important to carry out a detailed analysis of the data from free practice to optimise preparation for qualifying and tyre management during the race.

Tell us a bit about yourself, how did you come to be working for Scuderia Ferrari HP and what does it mean to be part of this team?
AM: Working for the Scuderia has been my dream ever since I was a kid, when I watched the Grands Prix on television with my grandfather. I graduated in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Palermo and after a short period working in research in Pittsburgh, USA, I got my first job in Formula 1 with Scuderia Toro Rosso, before then joining Williams, where I learned a lot about vehicle dynamics. Six years ago came the great opportunity to join the Prancing Horse, thus realising my dream. With Ferrari I've been able to progress and improve my skills, working alongside some of the best experts in the business. My role is to work on the development and correlation of tyre models to be integrated into the team's work tools, including the driver simulator, and I also provide support during race weekends from the Remote Garage in Maranello. Being part of this team is an extraordinary opportunity for me, as it allows me to combine work and my passion, and to challenge myself in a stimulating environment that is constantly striving for improvement.

Las Vegas Grand Prix - Facts & Figures

30. The time elapsed in seconds between weddings taking place in Las Vegas. In the city known as the "Wedding Capital of the World", 500 weddings a day are celebrated. Around 3% of them are later annulled within a year of the ceremony, because the celebrants might not have been entirely in their right minds at the time!

600. The approximate number of ghost towns in Nevada, the most of any American state. The majority of these settlements were built during the gold and silver rushes from the mid 19th to early 20th centuries, when miners and their families rapidly moved from one new find to another. Many towns were abandoned once the mines ran dry or when extraction costs became too high, leaving entire villages deserted. Some of these towns, such as Rhyolite, are now tourist attractions open to visitors, featuring historic buildings, ruins, and cemeteries that tell the story and dreams of the mining communities of the time. Several have also been used as film sets.

3087. The height in metres of Mount Charleston, the highest peak in Nevada. Located within the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, it is just 30 miles from the Strip and offers a striking contrast to the surrounding desert: in winter, its ski slopes and conifer forests stand out against the arid landscape, while in summer it's a popular destination for hiking in the cool air.

1999. The year the famous "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign was added to the National Register of Historic Places, recognising its symbolic value not only for the city but for American culture as a whole. For decades, it has greeted millions of visitors each year, becoming a true emblem of the Strip and the unique allure of Las Vegas.

6000. The number of lumens per square metre emitted by the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which makes it the brightest city on Earth when viewed from space. This intensity makes it clearly visible even from hundreds of kilometres above the planet. Millions of neon and LED lights illuminate the Strip, turning it into a beacon in the Mojave desert.