Mercedes outlines ‘unique’ upcoming F1 challenge

Mercedes has explained the Las Vegas Formula 1 round will pose a unique challenge for teams, with some of the coldest conditions of the year expected at the race weekend.

The Las Vegas Strip Circuit will make its F1 debut next month with the event scheduled to be a night race.

Temperatures in the Nevada city are expected to be very low in the evenings, with single-digit Celcius temperatures predicted during the sessions.

It could create a problem for the teams and the Pirelli tyres that they run, as they are extremely sensitive to track conditions.

With temperatures expected to be well down on the average seen during the year, Mercedes Simulation & Performance Engineer Oliver Albert explained how the Brackley-based team will seek to navigate the problem.

“In Vegas it’s quite possible we will be seeing some of the coldest conditions we have had all year,” he said.

“This will present unique challenges for the tyres, not just warming them up but also there are lots of unknowns in terms of how they will respond to and how they will perform through the long run.

“So, as soon as we hit Vegas for FP1 there is a number of things that we will be looking at.

“The first of which is obviously where fall out in terms of temperature and how we can position not just the tyres in general but each axle optimally to create a good balance for the car.

“The second point is looking at how the tyres perform in the long run.

“Seeing the unique temperatures in Vegas impact the tyres and just trying to get a feel for which tyres perform best and which ones we will be looking at running during the race.”