Vegas 'unlikely to ever stage a sprint race'

LVGP chief commercial officer Emily Prazer says that it's very unlikely that Las Vegas will ever be able to hold a Sprint race alongside its annual Grand Prix event.

Las Vegas staged its first night time race last year, with Max Verstappen emerging as the winner for Red Bull ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in the penultimate race of the season.

Verstappen could clinch the title again this year in next week's race depending on how his rivals perform, after a successful weekend in Brazil that saw him win a wet Grand Prix and finish fourth in the Saturday Sprint.

There's no Sprint race in Vegas, and Prazer believes that it's unlikely to ever be a practical reality given the nature of the circuit.

The Grand Prix takes place on public roads along the city's famous Strip, which have to be closed to traffic to allow the circuit to be set-up for the F1 sessions taking place after dark before reopening in time for the morning.

• Read also: Williams presence at Las Vegas GP 'not in doubt'

“The race in itself essentially feels like a Sprint race,” Prazer said, with last year's inaugural event clocking in at under 90 minutes despite multiple safety car interventions, making it one of the fastest venues on the calendar.

"We did look at [a Sprint]" she said. "But if you think about the speed you’re going from a safety standpoint - how fast is that to how quick the track is - there wouldn’t be too much difference between the actual race and a Sprint.

“I think one of the big takeaways from last year is how insanely good the racing was," Prazer continued. "So I think we’re quite comfortable letting Austin and Miami keep the Sprint.

"We’ve got so much more happening anyway and we’re in a really good place," she added. "We’re adding support races and hope to continue doing that over the next few years.”

Asked about the complications presented by the street circuit when it came to holding a Sprint race, Prazer said: “I don’t think people understand the complexity of this race versus other street races.

"We have around 46 track openings," he pointed out. "Adding a Sprint would create a nervousness of 'Can we fix the track if something was to happen?' fast enough, because of the complexity of Vegas versus even Singapore.

“I was in Singapore for the race and chatting to the promoter and they were like, ‘We don’t understand how you open and close the track the way you do.’ They keep the roads closed for seven days.

"Can you imagine us, the council keeping the roads [in Vegas] closed for seven days? It would just literally never happen, ever.”

The Vegas Grand Prix is the third race on the calendar to be held in the US, with the Miami GP being held in May and the United States GP taking place at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas during October.

“One of the great things about Formula 1 is that we celebrate every geography that we race in," noted event CEO Renee Wilm. "The US is a pretty big country, and these are three very different geographies.

"Right now, where we sit on the calendar is a very exciting time,” Wilm said. “It is a very good time of year in terms of kind of book-ending with Miami at the beginning and Las Vegas at the end.

“We are a lot of glamor and glitz, as Miami is, and having us separate on the calendar I do think is a good thing.

"Austin is a very different market. It’s the heartland of America. It’s cowboy boots and the American flag, and I think it brings in a different demographic.

"I certainly don’t think it’s a problem that we’re so close, because we really do bring out a different type of experience."

This year's race could see Verstappen crowned 2024 champion after the Red Bull romped to a brilliant victory in a wet Sao Paulo GP in Brazil putting him 62 points ahead of McLaren rival Lando Norris with three races remaining.

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