The temperatures in Las Vegas have been playing a starring role for the entire Grand Prix weekend. It is incredibly chilly, leaving drivers struggling with tire temperatures and graining. The race is also being run in chilly conditions, although at around 22 degrees during the day it is still quite warm for late November. In the evening, however, drivers should expect colder conditions.
It will not be as chilly as during qualifying, however. This is because it has been warmer during the day than it has been in the past and cloud fields drift in after sunset. That prevents a lightning-fast drop in temperature. It will probably be around 14 degrees Celsius during the race. Should the clouds be a little less thick, it may cool a few degrees further.
Other than that, the drivers have nothing to fear as far as the weather is concerned. No rain is expected and a moderate south wind is blowing. Warming up and keeping the tires alive will be crucial, especially since they will react slightly differently in warmer conditions. During qualifying it was around 10 degrees.
The temperatures, or lack thereof, have been a major talking point for the F1 field at the Las Vegas Grand Prix - with the cold conditions proving tricky.
Drivers have struggled to generate heat in their tyres, often going for multiple warm-up laps as George Russell stormed to pole for Mercedes.
Title rivals Max Verstappen and Lando Norris are fifth and sixth, with those positions, if the same at the flag, good enough to seal Verstappen's fourth title.
Current forecasts predict around 14 degrees celsius for the race, a little warmer than the 10 degrees for qualifying.
What could aid overtaking is a moderate head-wind - from the south - blowing up the Las Vegas strip, helping drivers into the heavy braking zone at the place where Charles Leclerc grabbed second on the last lap from Sergio Perez in 2023.
Also interesting:
Samuel Coop is joined by guest host Joris Mosterdijk and Fergal Walsh as the RacingNews365 team looks ahead to the second running of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Will Max Verstappen wrap up his fourth drivers’ championship or will it roll onto Qatar? Also, the trio dissect the recently-confirmed F1 Live event to celebrate the championship’s 75th season and a rather mysterious social media message from Mick Schumacher.
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