Max Verstappen has delivered a clear stance that he does not want the Las Vegas Grand Prix to be impacted by wet weather, stressing that he would rather a completely dry weekend.
Sin City was struck by significant rainfall on Tuesday, resulting in immediate flooding which quickly ended once a storm had passed the area.
Rain did fall in the opening hours of media day on Wednesday, with more forecast across the weekend.
Whether it will impact any of the sessions is uncertain, but it is expected that rain will appear at some point during the event.
F1 has never experienced a wet session in Las Vegas, a venue which has already thrown up temperature and grip issues since it joined the calendar in 2023.
It is one of the coldest races on the calendar, a challenge which increases due to the event, of course, taking place on a street circuit.
Addressing the possibility of rain at times this weekend, Verstappen commented: "Yeah. I mean, if it rains, the tarmac is wet. So it's a bit slippery. I'm not looking forward to that potentially.
"I prefer to just have a dry race. It's already hard enough to get everything working here — or understanding at least something.
"So yeah, I prefer a bit more straightforward. But, I mean, if the track floods, maybe less practice is also not a bad thing."
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Verstappen eyes Las Vegas victory
Verstappen enters the weekend 49 points adrift of championship leader Lando Norris, with the Dutchman at risk of falling out of title contention.
If Norris wins, Verstappen must finish in second. If Norris does not win, Verstappen must remain within 58 points of the McLaren driver.
The 28-year-old did win in Sin City last season, with the result having secured him his fourth consecutive drivers' title.
Verstappen also goes into the 22nd round of the campaign after a stunning comeback drive in São Paulo, where he recovered from a pit lane start to finish in third.
Asked if he can fight for victory in Las Vegas, Verstappen said: "Well, I mean, looking back at Brazil, yeah, I guess so, because the race pace was pretty decent.
"Of course, I would have liked to start more up front, but at the same time, it was fun. I had a good time out there, you know, racing through the pack and fighting basically until the final lap.
"Of course, it was for P2, but it was still — yeah. I had good fun, and I hope that we can be competitive this weekend."
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Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop, and Nick Golding as they look ahead to this weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix. Lando Norris' Sin City hurdle is a major talking point, as is Ferrari's turmoil and both Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen having nothing to lose.
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