Las Vegas Grand Prix 2026
Formula 1’s most glamorous night race, held on a purpose-built street circuit that sends cars blasting down the neon-lit Las Vegas Strip at over 340 km/h — a jaw-dropping spectacle that is as much a showbiz event as a Formula 1 race.
Circuit Facts & Map
The Las Vegas Strip Circuit is one of the longest on the Formula 1 calendar at 6.201 km, and it incorporates the iconic 1.2-mile main straight along Las Vegas Boulevard — the Strip itself. Cars accelerate to over 340 km/h past the MGM Grand, Caesars Palace, the Bellagio, and the Wynn before braking hard for the first corner. The layout is a mix of fast straights and tight 90-degree street-circuit corners, with 17 turns in total.
Temperatures often drop below 10°C in November. Tyre warm-up is critical — cold asphalt makes the opening laps uniquely challenging and the safety car period after the standing start extremely strategic.
- Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
- Circuit type: Temporary street circuit
- Race time (local): 22:00 PST
- Corners: 17
- DRS zones: 2
- Main straight: ~1.9 km (The Strip)
Circuit layout © Wikimedia Commons
About the Las Vegas Strip Circuit
Formula 1 has a long history with Las Vegas — the city hosted races in 1981 and 1982 in the car park of Caesars Palace — but the modern Las Vegas Grand Prix is an entirely different proposition. Launched in 2023 as one of F1’s flagship events in North America, the race is co-promoted between Formula 1 and Liberty Media, with F1 operating as promoter for the first time. The event is built around the spectacle of Las Vegas itself: the neon lights of the Strip, the hotel casinos, and a concert-level entertainment programme that runs across the full weekend.
The circuit uses public roads around the Strip and is built and dismantled each year specifically for the race. The long main straight provides the most dramatic racing moment — cars launch past some of the world’s most recognisable hotels and casinos at full throttle before scrubbing speed at the first turn. The remainder of the circuit is tighter and more conventional, with a series of 90-degree right-angle corners, a chicane on Koval Lane, and a hairpin on Harmon Avenue that provides the secondary overtaking opportunity.
The cold November desert nights present a unique engineering challenge. Track temperatures can be 15–20 degrees lower than any other race on the calendar, fundamentally changing how tyres behave and how quickly they reach operating temperature. This makes the restart after the formation lap particularly treacherous, and strategic tyre management — especially finding the right moment to switch to a compound that will generate heat — is often the deciding factor in the race result.
Key Corners
The Las Vegas Strip Circuit mixes the longest straight on the calendar with tight street corners. Mastering the transition between them — especially in the cold — is what separates winners from also-rans.
Turns 1–2 — MGM Complex
Cars arrive from the Strip straight at over 340 km/h and must brake hard for a right-left complex beside the MGM Grand. The braking zone is one of the longest on the calendar and provides the primary overtaking opportunity. Cold tyres in early stints make this corner treacherous under late braking.
Turn 6 — Koval Chicane
A tight chicane on Koval Lane that interrupts the flow of the circuit and demands a careful balance between kerb use and maintaining momentum. Teams set up their cars specifically to handle this section, and excessive kerb riding has caused damage to underfloor components in previous years.
Turn 12 — Harmon Hairpin
A slow hairpin on Harmon Avenue that feeds onto the second-longest straight. Like the MGM complex, this is a key overtaking spot under DRS. The tightness of the corner means any error loses several tenths — a frequent scene of late-race defensive manoeuvres as drivers protect positions.
Turn 14 — Sands Avenue
A medium-speed right-hander that connects the back section of the circuit to the run toward the Strip. Getting this corner right is critical for sector three, as a good exit enables a clean approach to the technical final sequence before the main straight begins.
Turn 17 — Final Chicane
The last corner before the Strip straight: a tight chicane that drivers must navigate smoothly to carry maximum speed onto the main straight. Too conservative and the driver ahead pulls away under acceleration; too aggressive and the car runs wide. The compromise is extremely fine and often decides position at the end of the lap.
Race Atmosphere
No other Formula 1 race comes close to Las Vegas for pure spectacle. The city’s unique ability to blend sport, entertainment, and excess creates an atmosphere that is unlike anything else in motorsport — and indeed unlike anything else in the world. The circuit’s pit building is a permanent hospitality complex that rivals a five-star resort, and the weekend’s supporting programme includes headline concert performances from global music artists. Even by Las Vegas standards, the Formula 1 weekend is an event.
On track, the racing has generally lived up to the setting. The cold temperatures, the long straights, and the mix of slower technical sections give drivers genuine opportunities to race each other, and the neon backdrop of the Strip makes even mundane moments look extraordinary on television. For UK viewers, the 22:00 PST start translates to 06:00 GMT on Sunday morning — requiring either a very late night or an early Sunday alarm — but the race’s visual quality makes it one of the most-watched events of the season regardless of the time zone challenge.
Tyre Strategy
Cold track temperatures (often below 10°C) create severe tyre warm-up issues unlike any other race on the calendar. Overcut strategies are common as teams try to gain a thermal advantage over rivals on used rubber.
Pirelli brings its hardest compounds to Las Vegas to cope with the long straights and high energy demands, but the cold November desert temperatures present a challenge that harder compounds struggle to resolve: thermal energy. When track temperatures drop toward 10°C, getting tyres into their operating window takes many laps, and the difference in warm-up behaviour between compounds and between teams becomes enormous. The hard tyre takes so long to come in that drivers frequently lose several seconds per lap in the first stint, making pit strategy — specifically the overcutting of opponents — a common way to gain positions.
The safety car, which appears regularly at Las Vegas due to the tight street circuit walls, can entirely reset a tyre advantage and has reshuffled the order dramatically in previous editions of the race. Managing tyre temperature — rather than tyre wear — is the defining strategic challenge of the Las Vegas night race.
How to Watch the Las Vegas Grand Prix in the UK
Sky Sports F1 — Live
Full live coverage across all sessions. The race starts at 22:00 PST (06:00 GMT Sunday), meaning UK viewers can either stay up for the Saturday night start or set an alarm for early Sunday morning. Available via Sky subscription, Sky Go, or a NOW TV pass.
Channel 4 — Highlights
Free-to-air highlights of qualifying and the race broadcast on Channel 4 and its streaming platform. Given the unsociable UK broadcast time for live coverage, Channel 4’s highlights package is particularly useful for catching up on the Las Vegas weekend.
F1 TV Pro
Live streaming via F1’s own platform with all onboard cameras, team radio, and data overlays. A strong option for watching the race flexibly, including catch-up after waking on Sunday morning rather than staying up to watch live.
Race start in the UK is typically around 06:00 GMT Sunday. Check our full TV schedule for confirmed broadcast times across the weekend.
Previous Winners
| Year | Winner | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari |
| 2024 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari |
| 2023 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing |