Las Vegas race announced for 2023 Formula One calendar

The Formula One circus is headed to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2023, with a new destination race announced this week in the lead-up to the first Australian Grand Prix in over three years.

The Las Vegas Grand Prix is scheduled to take place at night, set against a backdrop of glitz and glamour associated with the iconic Las Vegas Strip. It joins a growing list of US-based events which already include the United States Grand Prix in Texas and Miami Grand Prix in Florida.

A total of 14 turns are slated for the track layout which is 6.12km long in its entirety. Top speed is projected to be 342km/h along the Las Vegas Strip. In fact, three straight sections are envisaged for the track, as well as a high-speed cornering complex and a single chicane.

A total of 50 laps will be run by the time the race is complete.

Speaking at a launch event in the city this week, Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali said “This is an incredible moment for Formula 1 that demonstrates the huge appeal and growth of our sport with a third race in the US.”

“Las Vegas is a destination known around the world for its excitement, hospitality, thrills, and of course, the famous Strip.

“There is no better place for Formula 1 to race than in the global entertainment capital of the world and we cannot wait to be here next year,” said Domenicali.

It will be one of the final events on the calendar, in November 2023, though no official date has been scheduled just yet.

Interestingly, the race itself will be held on a Saturday evening, as opposed to its usual Sunday timeslot. This will be the first time a race is held on a Saturday since the early 1980s, and means an early-morning viewing time for Europeans, and a Sunday afternoon viewing time for Australians.

Formula One previously held a race in Las Vegas in 1981 and 1982, staged on a track crammed into the car park of the Caesars Palace casino. Australian Formula One driver Alan Jones won the inaugural event for the Williams F1 team in 1981.

Only two iterations of the Caesars Palace Grand Prix were held before the race was dropped from the F1 calendar and the American Champ Car World Series took over.