What happens in Vegas… is broadcast around the world to millions. After more than a year of hype, the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend is finally here.
You may question whether F1 needs an opening ceremony (featuring John Legend and Thirty Seconds To Mars), or its very own wedding chapel (a dead-certainty for the pre-race features), or even whether it should be going to Las Vegas at all. But with all of the action broadcast live, you can make up your own mind — assuming you wake up in time.
All of the on-track action will take place at night, which means a 4.30am start for UK fans keen to watch the first practice session on Friday with qualifying at 8am GMT on Saturday and the Grand Prix itself at 6am on Sunday. For the full experience, tune in to F1’s YouTube channel at 5.30am on Thursday for the opening ceremony featuring nine musical artists and F1 drivers, or watch the re-run on Sky Sports later in the afternoon.
Don’t be confused by the time difference, which means that qualifying and the race both take place on Saturday in Las Vegas, with a midnight local time start for qualifying, 22 hours before the lights go out at 10pm on the first Saturday Grand Prix since 1985.
Here’s how to watch the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix, including highlights:
How to watch F1: live stream and TV details for 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix
An “immersive display celebrating the arrival of F1 in Las Vegas” will begin the opening ceremony on Wednesday, which will be streamed live on F1’s YouTube channel and repeated later in the day on Sky Sports F1. Top-name musical artists are promised along with all 20 F1 drivers.
The on-track action then follows a familiar format: the weekend composed of three practice sessions, qualifying and a 50-lap grand prix. Given the time difference, it will mean an early start for UK viewers, but the prospect of an unfamiliar circuit, the challenge of cold weather, and the spectacle of a Las Vegas night race should make an early alarm clock worthwhile.
Live TV: All on-track sessions will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 starting with Free Practice 1 on Friday at 4.30am. Stream the opening ceremony on F1’s YouTube channel.
Live stream: Sky Sports F1 subscribers in the UK can watch all the running live on the Sky Go app. Now TV subscribers can also see live coverage of every session via Sky Sports F1. Live timings are available through the F1 app.
Highlights: Channel 4 will show highlights of the weekend, with action from Saturday’s qualifying session and Sunday’s Grand Prix available to watch later on the respective days of each event.
Las Vegas GP circuit and details
Older Las Vegas residents may remember when F1 first came to town in 1981, racing on a temporary street circuit around the grounds of the Caesars Palace Hotel. Fast forward to 2023, and F1 has broken out of the casino car park to take over the Strip itself.
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Located in the heart of Clark County, the 3.85-mile circuit is composed of 17 corners and two DRS zones, which wind their way around the dazzling screen of the new Sphere, down the Strip at over 200mph and round to F1’s new paddock building at the start/finish straight.
It offers one of the best hopes for rivals to challenge Red Bull and Max Verstappen, thanks to the unknown layout and track surface, as well as the forecast cold weather. On-track temperatures could drop to 10C for qualifying and the race, making it difficult for drivers to get heat into their tyres for qualifying runs or during the frantic start to the Grand Prix.
In its brief history, the Las Vegas Grand Prix has produced its fair share of entertainment, but this week’s race couldn’t be much further from the twisty Caesars circuit that was baked in sweltering temperatures.
In 1981, Alan Jones topped the podium for Williams but the championship battle behind him was perhaps the main attraction. After setting the grid on fire in qualifying — grabbing pole by two tenths of a second — title-challenger Carlos Reutemann mysteriously fell out of contention in the race, ultimately finishing a disappointing eighth. This left Brabham’s Nelson Piquet with a much easier task, coasting his way to a distant fifth, picking up two points and winning his first F1 title by a single point.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix will be the first Saturday race Formula 1 has seen since South Africa in 1985 – with a 10pm start (local time)
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The following season told a similar story, with Michele Alboreto taking his maiden F1 victory for Tyrrell while Keke Rosberg clinched the title behind him — besting John Watson in the drivers’ standings with another fifth place finish.
With an F1 contract in place for three years and rumours of a ten-year extension already on the cards, the next generation of Las Vegas Grands Prix have plenty of chances to make a little F1 history of their own.
