Rain won’t be a problem for last 2 days of Las Vegas Grand Prix
After dealing with loose water drain fixtures on the Thursday night of Formula One practice, the skies above should not pose a problem for Friday action or Saturday’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The sky is forecast to be clear for Friday practice and qualifying as well as the Saturday night race, according to the National Weather Service.
The temperatures should be in the upper 50s for Friday’s 8:30 p.m. practice, dropping to the middle to lower 50s by the time scheduled midnight qualifying begins.
“There were indications earlier that quite a bit of moisture was moving across Baja and into southern Arizona and perhaps this way,” said meteorologist Barry Pierce. “But models have backed way off that. There may be some moisture around Lake Mead and Mohave County (Arizona) but not in the valley.”
During the day on Saturday some pop-up showers are possible, but 10 p.m. race conditions should be a clear sky with light winds and temperatures in the upper 50s dropping to the low 50s, Pierce said.
A single water cover sucked up by the down force on a car driven by Team Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz during the first eight minutes Thursday caused a stoppage of the session. Other drivers reported damage to their cars as well.
Repairing the hole on the Strip near Flamingo Road and checking some 50 other similar drain holes on the circuit took more than two and a half hours, delaying the second practice session for hours. Formula One officials closed the fan areas before the second practice session, angering several who had paid hefty admission prices.
Weather conditions will change Sunday as winds increase to 20 to 30 mph across the valley with stronger velocities possible to the north. The high temperatures will be in the upper 60s.
Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com.