2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix

Championship standings

Verstappen leads with 524 points, 266 ahead of Pérez. Hamilton is third, 32 behind Pérez. Alonso holds fourth, with Norris fifth, three points behind. In the Constructors’, Red Bull lead with 782 points, 400 ahead of Mercedes, with Ferrari a further 20 behind in third.

Previous race

At São Paulo, Verstappen won for the 17th time in the season ahead of Norris. Alonso and Pérez fought intensely over the final laps, with Alonso taking third by 0.053 seconds. Leclerc crashed on the formation lap due to a hydraulic failure and did not start.

Between-race developments

The Haas right of review hearing regarding undetected track limit violations at turn 6 during the United States Grand Prix has been scheduled for 8 November, after this race weekend.

Entrants

Ricciardo continues at AlphaTauri. This is the 1,100th Formula One World Championship Grand Prix since the inaugural 1950 season.

Tyre choices

Pirelli brings the C3, C4, and C5 compounds — the three softest in their range — designated hard, medium, and soft.

Milestones

This is the first Formula One World Championship race in Las Vegas since the 1982 Caesars Palace Grand Prix. The race starts at 22:00 local time on Saturday 18 November, becoming the first Formula One World Championship Grand Prix to begin on a Saturday since the 1985 South African Grand Prix. The United States hosts three Formula One Grands Prix in a single season for the first time since 1982. The Las Vegas Strip Circuit is a brand-new 6.201 km street track running counterclockwise, featuring 17 corners and a 1.9 km flat-out section past the Strip’s famous hotels and casinos.

Practice

FP1 is topped by Leclerc ahead of Hülkenberg and Magnussen. The session is red-flagged and abandoned after Sainz stops on track after striking a loose metal drain cover; the impact extensively damages his floor. Ocon’s floor is also damaged. The cover damage leads to Sainz being required to fit a third energy store unit, exceeding his permitted allocation and earning a ten-place grid penalty. Following the curtailed session, fans are ejected from the venue at 1:30 in the morning. Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur is “noticeably irate” at the drain cover issues, stating the damage to Sainz’s car cost them “a fortune.” Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali issues a public statement regarding the incident; the event organisers distribute $200 merchandise vouchers to affected fans.

FP2 is delayed by two and a half hours while the circuit’s drain covers are inspected, and extended from 60 to 90 minutes to compensate for the curtailed first session. It is topped by Leclerc ahead of Sainz and Alonso, running with few fans in the grandstands. FP3 is red-flagged with three minutes remaining when Albon stops after hitting the wall; the session is not resumed. Russell leads ahead of Piastri and Sargeant.