The Las Vegas Grand Prix saw lights and shadows. The start of the weekend, however, was certainly complicated, given what happened in the first free practice session, with a track problem which caused an understandable delay in the day’s programme.
In fact, having to check the manholes along the entire circuit, in particular those along the strip, FP2 started more than two hours late, bringing the session to a close at 4 in the morning. To ensure we found a sort of balance between times that could be favorable to both the US and European audiences, a particular approach was chosen: FP2, for example, was originally supposed to start at midnight, however a already quite late.
The delay in FP2 made life even more difficult for team members who had to adapt to jet lag at the end of an already exhausting season, not to mention that already this weekend everyone will have to deal with a new time zone having to race in Abu Dhabi. Next year the challenge will be even bigger: Las Vegas will be the start of a triple event that will precede Qatar and, precisely, Yas Marina again which will conclude the world championship.
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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W14
A particularly tough challenge and the Team Principals, mindful of this year’s experience, have already recognized that changes to the program will be needed for next season. “If we need to improve something, maybe it’s the timing. It’s not an easy compromise to find if you want to have a decent schedule for Asia, Europe, the East Coast and the West Coast. In the past we didn’t have problems because the F1 was only for Europeans and we had to stick to European timetables, and that was fine. Now it’s a global project and it’s much more difficult to find something that adapts to the whole world. But we will adapt,” Frederic Vasseur said on the issue .
The problem does not only concern the drivers, who in any case have numerous sponsor-related activities to follow during the weekend in addition to the action on the track, but above all the team members, who in any case also have to make journeys to return to the hotel, and then be also the first to return to the racetrack the following day. “First of all, obviously, there will be a lot of lessons to learn. One of the things to take into consideration is the schedule, because it was brutal for the team and for all the men and women behind the scenes,” Christian Horner said.
“Everyone leaves Las Vegas tired. One way or another it was a brutal weekend for everyone behind the scenes, and I think we will have to evaluate how to improve this for the future,” added the Team Principal of Red Bull. It is important to keep in mind, in fact, that following the delay in FP2 neither FP3 nor qualifying were postponed, remaining unchanged in terms of times.
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Panorama at the Las Vegas GP
As suggested by Horner, a possible solution could be to bring forward the times, although it would obviously affect European spectators. On the one hand it would not represent a problem in itself, but it is clear that, for an event that wants to be proposed as the pearl of F1, this issue must be addressed with particular care. “I think we could run a little earlier in the evening, because we will never be able to please all the TV viewers. This is an American race. If we ran at 8pm or something like that, it would be a little more comfortable for the men and the women who work behind the scenes,” added the British manager.
AlphaTauri chief executive Peter Bayer, who has in-depth knowledge of city racing logistics having previously worked for the FIA, said his team would support any change. “Of course, we would be in favor of it. I don’t know all the background and the reasons why it was done. But I have a bit of experience, coming from the FIA, and I know how difficult it has been for Formula E in many cities. The road closures have a huge impact on the people who live here,” Bayer explained. In fact, one of the reasons why we chose to run so late was also to minimize the impact of the closures, because the Strip is one of the main arteries of the city.
“We’ll have to review everything and see how we can improve. I talked to a couple of guys, some of them quickly found the rhythm. I had a bad day on the second day, I thought I wouldn’t make it! But then suddenly we find each other again. Obviously now we will fly to the other side of the world. And this will upset us. But at the same time it was worth it.”
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