Las Vegas to be added to the F1 calendar from 2023

Written by María Fernanda Peña, Edited by Daniel Yi

Today, Formula 1 has announced that another circuit will be added to the race calendar for the 2023 season. It will be hosted in Las Vegas (a.k.a Sin City) in the United States. This will be the 3rd race hosted in the United States on the 2023 calendar, with the other two being in Miami, Florida (introduced this season) and Austin, Texas. It has been confirmed that the race will take place in the Las Vegas Strip, the most important street in the city, with iconic buildings like the Wynn and Caesars Palace. The race will be held at night, which will make it the only night race in America.

The race will be held in November, many believing it to happen during the Thanksgiving weekend; which in theory, would make it the penultimate race of the season. Rumours have surfaced that the race will be held on a Saturday instead of a Sunday, and if it were to happen, it would mark the first time in more than 25 years that a race takes place on Saturday.

So far, what we know about the track is that it has 14 corners, 2 DRS zones, with a length of 6.12 km (3.8 miles). There will be one main straight (Vegas Strip) and 2 smaller straights and the expected maximum speed will be around 340 km/hr (210 mph). Additionally, the circuit will pass through iconic Vegas landmarks like the Wynn, the Bellagio, and Caesars Palace. However, this layout will still be subject to changes.

The proposed track layout for the Las Vegas GP

With this addition on the calendar, this will make an expected total of 24 races for the 2023 season, making for an even more exciting season in Formula 1. This will also help F1 accomplish the goal of capturing the American market. The previous editions of racing in Vegas are infamous for the inability to overtake and the lack of action. We hope the sport prioritizes the racing by testing the circuit beforehand so that we can enjoy good racing action. Nonetheless, it will probably be a fantastic new addition to the season, and maybe not the last addition we see, with murmurs of a F1 return to South Africa.