Las Vegas Grand Prix’s Saturday 10pm start time is ‘perfect’, insists Formula 1 chief

The Las Vegas Grand Prix start time will mean early morning start for British F1 fans

Formula 1 has released artist’s impressions of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. (PA)

A Saturday night local-time start for the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix is ‘perfect’, insists Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.

F1 officially announced its return to Sin City for the first time since 1982, in an event which will become the third United States-based race on the calendar from November 2023 onwards.

Cars will speed along Las Vegas’ notorious Strip at speeds of up to 212mph, and the 6.12km track will see drivers roar past landmarks such as the Bellagio Fountains and Caesars Palace for an event expected to attract 170,000 fans.

The inaugural race does not yet have a confirmed a date, but will begin at 10pm on a Saturday night, with Thanksgiving weekend in November considered the most likely slot to be chosen in an effort draw as big an American audience as possible.

That means the start time would be 6am on Sunday for fans in the UK and 7am for other parts of Europe, where Formula’s 1 biggest and most loyal fanbase is located, but Domenicali insists that the start time is “perfect” in order to take advantage of the US market.

“Formula 1 cannot be static,” Domenicali said. “To have a race on Saturday at 3pm, that would be a total mistake. That is the reason why we are flexible, we are showing that’s the right moment to have the best show in this context. I don’t see any problem on that.

“And if you think actually in terms of timing in Europe, Saturday night is perfect because also that audience will be connected [early the following morning].”

Domenicali also said that he believes the event will be so popular that people all around the world will watch no matter the start time.

Las Vegas Grand Prix (PA)

“By the way, we could have done even earlier or later, everyone would have been connected that night with Las Vegas, no doubt,” he told Reuters while overlooking the Las Vegas Strip, which lit up with ads for the event after it was announced.

“We are doing something spectacular. It’s the perfect marriage. We are in an iconic city, we’re going to have the right atmosphere, the right intensity, the right passion. We feel at home here already.”

The agreement signed will keep the Las Vegas Grand Prix on the F1 calendar until 2025, but Domenicali said he hopes the race will “stay for longer.”