Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has highlighted how the changed start time to the Las Vegas Grand Prix could change the competitive order of the 50-lap race.
F1 returns to Nevada for the third year in a row this weekend, again racing under the lights of Sin City.
12 months ago, Mercedes dominanted on account of its car enjoying colder climates and being better able to get heat into its tyres during the desert night race.
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton took a comfortable one-two, despite the latter having to work his way through the field from tenth on the grid.
Ferrari was second in the pecking order, with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc finishing third and fourth, respectively, ahead of Max Verstappen and the two McLarens.
However, this year, the start time of both qualifying and the grand prix has been brought forward two hours, from 22:00 local time to 20:00.
Given that the trip to the Las Vegas Strip Circuit is somewhat of an outlier on the F1 calendar, given its cool conditions, it could prove decisive to the outcome of the weekend, with the temperature theoretically more likely to be warmer.
Vasseur explained how this could shake things up, with expectations heading into the round anticipating that Mercedes and McLaren will again bookend the top four teams.
"Last year, the race was quite late," the Frenchman said to media, including RacingNews365. "It was quite extreme on the tyres.
"It was a lot about putting the tyres in the temperature window.
"Perhaps now, with the new timing, it will be a bit different."
Although, early forecasts predict that a cold snap will move across the Entertainment Capital of the World whilst F1 is in town, effectively offsetting the new schedule — it could potentially mean even lower temperatures than last year.
Either way, Ferrari needs to find a way to have a strong weekend, after a torrid round in Brazil. The Scuderia has dropped to fourth in the battle for second in the F1 constructors' standings.
Following the São Paulo Grand Prix, Mercedes is in the runner-up spot, 32 points clear of Red Bull in third, with the Italian team a further four points adrift.
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