Why is the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday?
Formula 1 is ready to light up the Strip with one of the most glitzy events in motorsport history.
Formula 1 is a rising force in the US with the final instalment of a trilogy of Stateside races taking place in unique surroundings this weekend.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix is the culmination of a meteoric rise for the sport in recent years, heavily attributed to the global success of Netflix smash-hit documentary series Formula 1: Drive to Survive.
F1 has gained ground in the US with legions of new fans being drawn into the carnival – and sticking around to cheer on their favourite drivers and teams.
The United States Grand Prix is a long-standing fixture in the calendar, but the Miami Grand Prix was added to the slate in 2022, and now we're on the verge of F1's most daring exploit yet: the Las Vegas Grand Prix. On a Saturday night.
Race day is Sunday, this has been the way for decades, but with new opportunities come new flexibilities.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix will be staged on the night of Saturday 18th November in local time, the early hours of Sunday morning for British fans.
The simple reason for the change is to attract more eyeballs to the race around the world.
Las Vegas Grand Prix CEO Renee Wilm said: "That was actually a compromise to make sure we are broadcasting at a time when our European fans can get up with a cup of coffee and watch the race at six or seven in the morning, very similar to how we [in the US] watch European races."
The Vegas race was always going to be a night-time event with the iconic skyline lit up for the big occasion, but had it taken place on Sunday night, it would have made for an unreasonably early Monday morning start for European fans.
However, ironically, in aiming to appease global fans, the US audience Formula 1 is trying so hard to woo could feel short-changed.
The race starts at 10pm PT (Pacific Time), which translates as 1am ET (Eastern Time), meaning a large portion of potential US viewers may have already gone to bed.
One positive of the schedule is that it doesn't clash with a busy day of NFL action. NFL games are predominantly played on Sundays from 1pm, lasting all day.
The weekly primetime game live on TV this Sunday night? The Las Vegas Raiders versus New York Jets, at Allegiant Stadium... Las Vegas.
Las Vegas Grand Prix schedule
All UK time.
Friday 17th November
From 4am on Sky Sports F1
Practice 1 – 4:30am
Practice 2 – 8am
Saturday 18th November
From 4:15am on Sky Sports F1
Practice 2 – 4:30am
Qualifying – 8am
Sunday 19th November
From 4:30am on Sky Sports F1
Race – 6am
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Authors
Michael Potts is the Sport Editor for Radio Times, covering all of the biggest sporting events across the globe with previews, features, interviews and more. He has worked for Radio Times since 2019 and previously worked on the sport desk at Express.co.uk after starting his career writing features for What Culture. He achieved a first-class degree in Sports Journalism in 2014.
