Las Vegas Grand Prix to begin at 10 p.m., race organizers confirm

The Las Vegas Grand Prix, scheduled to be run on the third-longest circuit on Formula One’s 2023 schedule, will begin as expected at 10 p.m. Nov. 18, race organizers confirmed.

The late start is to allow the race to feature the renowned lights of the Strip. The circuit will be brightly lit via lighting trusses that are being installed on the Strip and other areas of the track.

“It is a night race, but you will soon realize when the lights are on, it’s almost like day,” said Silvia Bellot, senior director of race operations.

Racing on a Saturday is rare for F1, with the Las Vegas Grand Prix the first race not to be held on a Sunday since the South African Grand Prix in 1985.

At 3.8 miles, the Las Vegas track will only be shorter than the 4.34-mile track for the Belgian Grand Prix and the 3.83-mile track for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The Las Vegas Boulevard portion of the circuit represents the second-longest straightaway on Formula One’s calendar, stretching 1.18 miles. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix features the longest stretch of the 2023 circuits at 1.36 miles.

That portion of the race is where drivers will hit maximum speeds of 212 mph. The average speed during the 50-lap race is expected to be 147 mph, with the average lap time forecast to take 1 minute, 33 seconds.

The track features 17 turns with the width varying between 39 and 49.2 feet.

If driving past the attention-grabbing Sphere Vegas isn’t distracting enough for drivers, corners near the arena on the circuit present an interesting challenge.

“At one specific area toward the Sphere at Turn 7, the actual braking point is blind,” Bellot said. “So a driver actually has to guess where he is in order to brake and enter the corner.”

The chicane — the connection of two corners on a race track — of Turn 8 and Turn 9 is also expected to be a challenging area for drivers.

“The car is forcing the driver to go toward the outside instead of going toward the inside,” Bellot said.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.