Sergio Perez believes the cool running conditions forecasted for this week in Las Vegas are a factor that could throw a wrench into Red Bull’s works.
The stage is set in the City of Lights for a three-day spectacular that everyone hopes will live up to its hype and establish F1 on Vegas’ neon-lit Strip for years to come.
On paper, for competitors and fans alike there’s a lot to get excited about. But behind the scenes, teams have rarely approached a new venue littered with so many unknowns as Las Vegas.
F1 teams and their engineers are no strangers to cool temperatures, having often endured in the past balmy conditions during pre-season testing, or indeed on race day as was the case at the Eiffel Grand Prix at the Nürburgring in 2020.
But breezing down Vegas’ neon-lit Strip at over 330km/h in chilly air and on a smooth tarmac is hardly conducive to maintaining tyre temperatures, or even pressures, especially on a layout that won’t put much energy in a car’s rubber.
“I think it’s something that is going to be very present there, and probably that will not be something that favours us as a team but it’s something that we’ve got to keep in mind,” commented a cautious Perez in Brazil.
“Those things are very hard to simulate, also knowing what sort of wind direction we’re going to have.
“Simulators these days, there is so much they can do and so much you can base on them, but I think it’s more the knowledge we’ll have on that sort of thing.”
On the other hand, if conditions are reasonably good, Perez is confident that F1 can put on a good show.
“I think it will be good for racing, it was very long straights with big braking zones so I do expect that it will be a good track for racing,” he added.
Perez’s last F1 win dates back to last spring’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, the street circuit to which Las Vegas is most frequently compared.
After his solid outing last time out in Brazil, Perez is determined to end his campaign on a strong note, especially as the Mexican is still battling to protect his runner-up spot in the Drivers’ championship from rival Lewis Hamilton.
To help his cause, Perez is banking on a strong Mexican presence in Las Vegas, and his countryman will be hoping for better fortunes than those that befell their idol at his home race last month.
“After last weekend [in Mexico] probably they’re not too keen! But there are still a lot out there and I do expect a lot of support in Vegas,” he added.
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