F1 announced on Tuesday night that it will return to Las Vegas in 2023 with a new street event that will see cars racing down the iconic Strip next November.
It will mark a return to Las Vegas for F1, which last hosted the infamous Caesars Palace Grand Prix in 1984 on a temporary track in the casino’s parking lot.
The race takes place on a Saturday evening, making it the first Saturday Grand Prix since South Africa in 1985 and a break from the traditional Sunday format. A 10:00 p.m. PT start is slated to captivate late-night US audiences and morning wake-ups in Europe.
When asked by Motorsport.com about the decision to stage the race on a Saturday night, Domenicali applauded the flexibility F1 had shown and said it was the “perfect timing and slot for this event”.
“Formula 1 cannot be static,” said Domenicali.
“Having a race at 3pm on Saturday would be a total mistake. So we are flexible, we show that this is the right moment to have the best show in that context.
“I see no problem with that. And if you actually think in terms of timing in Europe, the race time we have on Saturday is 10pm, Saturday night is perfect because that crowd will be connected too.
“By the way, we could have done it sooner or later, everyone would undoubtedly have been linked to Las Vegas that night.”
Track action in Las Vegas
Photo by: Liberty Media
Greg Maffei, CEO of Liberty Media, added that he thinks the timing of the Las Vegas race “would find real happiness with all the teenagers who now have to get up on Saturday mornings and Sunday mornings and complain that the races are in Europe to start too soon”.
“Now they can stay up late Saturday night and enjoy it,” Maffei said.
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Las Vegas will be the third race in the United States, joining existing events in Austin and Miami, which have long-term contracts.
An initial three-year deal was secured for Formula One in Las Vegas, but Domenicali said he hoped the race would “stay longer”.
The 10pm start is the latest for F1, beating the current 8pm timeslot for the night races in Saudi Arabia and Singapore.