After two editions held in 1981 and 1982 on the monitor arrange round Caesars Palace, Components 1 made its grand return to Las Vegas final yr. The occasion grew to become a real weekend spectacle, as anticipated, whereas additionally delivering loads of on-track motion with a number of overtakes, some that includes spectacular braking maneuvers on the finish of the monitor’s longest straight.
The circuit spans 6.201 kilometers, making it the second-longest on the calendar after Spa-Francorchamps (7.004 km), with 17 corners to be tackled 50 instances. It’s a reasonably quick format, that includes three straights and prime speeds that reached 350 km/h final yr. The monitor presents a mixture of corners, from high-speed sections the place rear-end traction will be difficult, to slower segments like chicanes.
In comparison with 2023, groups now have a full season behind them, higher familiarity with the monitor and the tires, making it fascinating to see how they adapt to the challenges and low temperatures of Las Vegas. Temperature swings between day and evening are important because of the metropolis’s location within the Mojave Desert. Furthermore, scheduling the race on the finish of November means situations are removed from spring-like.
It’s seemingly that vehicles will run in air temperatures round 10°C, whereas monitor temperatures will probably be barely larger however nonetheless chilly. Final yr, the utmost recorded monitor temperature was simply 19°C.
As is customary for a road circuit, Pirelli has chosen the softest compounds from its vary for this race: C3 as Laborious, C4 as Medium, and C5 as Mushy, the identical choice as in 2023. The important thing problem of the weekend will probably be warming up the tires, particularly throughout qualifying periods, with explicit consideration required for the entrance axle. Drivers might want to rigorously convey the tires as much as the proper temperature with out over-stressing them whereas avoiding lock-ups in important braking zones, equivalent to these on the finish of lengthy straights. It’s necessary to contemplate that tires have a tendency to chill on straights, rising the danger of locking up throughout braking.
Moreover, as seen final yr, low temperatures cut back grip, which raises the probability of graining. This might additionally result in quicker put on, favoring two-stop methods, which had been standard final yr partly as a result of race neutralizations attributable to particles. Nonetheless, a single pit cease stays an choice.
As a result of challenges of warming up the tires, early pit stops geared toward gaining positions usually are not very efficient. Pirelli notes that extending a stint tends to be extra useful, because the tires are already as much as temperature.
It’s price emphasizing that this yr, groups get pleasure from a yr’s preparation, which may make them higher outfitted for the Las Vegas problem. The 2023 expertise will probably be beneficial not just for the groups but in addition for Pirelli.
A major quantity of information on grip ranges and asphalt roughness was collected and shared with the groups, who in flip offered their simulations. One of many first duties for each the groups and the Italian tire provider will probably be to confirm the preliminary roughness and grip ranges of the monitor and evaluate them with final yr’s information. This will probably be performed in the course of the traditional on-track inspections and thru subsequent analyses.