The cold in Las Vegas, this slight detail forgotten by F1 which could have serious consequences

Since its official announcement in March 2022, the Las Vegas Grand Prix has been sold by the Formula 1 as the new jewel of this sport. With a night race, on Thanksgiving evening, and a circuit visiting some of the highlights of the Nevada capital, this meeting is destined for success.

However, this meant missing one major piece of data: the weather and night temperatures in Las Vegas. Small problem, these are announced ridiculously low for the Grand Prix, between 5 and 10 degrees according to the forecast one week before kick-off. In a desert location, the heat can be overwhelming during the day, but as soon as the sun goes down, beware of the frost!

An elementary principle that Ross Brawn, Sporting Director of F1 between 2017 and the end of 2022, did not take into consideration. The former technical director of the Team Ferrari had been involved in negotiations to bring F1 back to Las Vegas, as was the case in 1981 and 1982.

Strip views, but make it 200 miles per hour! 💨 In just over two weeks, the iconic Las Vegas Strip will have the F1 cars unleashed. #LasVegasGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/kqCRilSqe9

— F1 Las Vegas (@F1LasVegas) November 4, 2023

“The one thing we didn't initially consider, (...) it's very, very cold at night, said Ross Brawn in the TalkSport podcast. So when the race takes place, i.e. on Saturday evening (in the United States, Sunday morning in France. Editor’s note), we know that the temperature can drop to three or four degrees.

So it can get very cold and of course operating cars at these temperatures can become a challenge. » Ouch, that’s not very reassuring! Fortunately, the former boss of the discipline wants to defuse any concerns, and ensures that Pirelli, the F1 manufacturer, has worked on the subject.

“Tyre manufacturers have made efforts to ensure that tires can cope with these temperatures. We're definitely facing new challenges that we've never had before, but I think it's going to be a spectacular race. »

Trusting Pirelli is a good act considering the numerous episodes where the Italian company has been under fire since its arrival at the F1 monopoly in 2011. Latest episode to date: the high curbs of the Losail circuit (Qatar) which the drivers had to carefully avoid so as not to tear the rubber.

The opinion of Pierre Waché, Red Bull Racing Technical Director

The tire aspect in Las Vegas should be the number 1 topic of conversation in the American paddock. In any case, this is what we can deduce from our interview with Pierre Waché, to be found in its entirety in issue 2438, available Monday, November 13 in the evening in digital version and Wednesday, November 15 on newsstands.

“The biggest challenge, in terms of temperatures, will be the tires. The temperatures will be cool, on a track where we don't put any energy into the tires, so that's a big challenge. »

Indeed, the Las Vegas circuit, 6,12 km long, is made up of 17 turns, but practically no sequence of curves. These usually allow single-seaters, in a lateral support situation, to heat up their tires more quickly. This is what we call in technicians’ language “putting energy” into the tires.

“We do more simulation on this track than we have ever done on others. We try to put temperature in the tire without destroying the balance of the vehicle or degrading the tires, but it is very complicated, because we are a bit blind. We have little data, other than those related to the simulation. Because if we try to fully optimize the car, it will also slip and the driver will not be able to drive the way he wants. »