Formula 1’s grand return to Las Vegas has been billed all year as one of the must-see spectacles in the world of motorsport, but if you’re an actual Formula 1 fan living in the United States, prepare to turn your sleep schedule upside down if you actually want to catch any of the on-track action.
In terms of session start times, watching the Las Vegas Grand Prix is going to feel a whole lot like staying up for races in Japan or Australia, half a world away. In fact, for fans on the East Coast, a race in the United States somehow has the worst start times of any race in the entire 2023 season.
Being a Formula 1 fan in the United States, for the most part, means having something to watch while you enjoy coffee on Sunday morning. The majority of races in Europe start around 9 a.m. ET, and even races in Saudi Arabia and Qatar had a very comfortable lights out time of 1 p.m. ET. Sunday’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, meanwhile, will begin at 1 a.m. ET.
Japan and Australia, due to the more extreme time zone differences, represent the toughest challenge on the F1 calendar for American fans – but even those weekends have an advantage over Las Vegas, with no session starting later than 2 a.m. ET. Las Vegas qualifying on Saturday won’t begin until 3 a.m. ET.
Why is the Las Vegas Grand Prix starting so late? According to Liberty Media exec Renee Wilm, the start time allows the larger European audience to enjoy a morning race.
Via Sporting News:
“That was actually a compromise to make sure we are broadcasting at a time when our European fans can get up with a cup of coffee and watch the race six, seven in the morning, very similar to how we [in the US] watch the European races.”
The obvious solution would have been to simply start the Las Vegas Grand Prix in the afternoon, similar to races in Texas and Mexico City, but then F1 would lose the spectacle of a night race in Las Vegas.
Yet racing in the middle of the night presents other challenges that will affect the quality of the product. The low temperatures have teams worried about keeping the tires warm, with Alex Albon predicting the race will be “complete chaos” in such a cold environment.
| Las Vegas Grand Prix start times: |
| Practice 1: 11:30 p.m. ET Thursday, ESPN2 |
| Practice 2: 3:00 a.m. ET Friday, ESPN |
| Practice 3: 11:30 p.m. ET Friday, ESPNU |
| Qualifying: 3:00 a.m. ET Saturday, ESPN |
| Race: 1:00 a.m. ET Sunday, ESPN |
Here’s what fans are saying about the weekend schedule:
Man, this track schedule in Vegas is weird!! That said, it does all look pretty spectacular. All first year events have hiccups and issues, but hopefully this one runs relatively smoothly!
— James Hinchcliffe (@Hinchtown) November 15, 2023
Literally every other Non-US race on the calendar is at a more watchable time for the majority of the US.
What’s the point of having a US race that most won’t even be able to watch? 3am EST/2am CST/1AM MST Qualifying and 1am/12am/11pm Start!?
— L (@randomdude1347) November 15, 2023
10pm start time in Vegas and 1am on the east coast on a Sunday night is definitely not a way to get Americans to watch
— Mescal kid Jr (@jamesgusmano) November 16, 2023
When you wake up at 1am to watch the drivers arrive on track at Vegas but end up watching a Jared Leto and Keith Urban Super Bowl F1 half-time show pic.twitter.com/EknCjCsZG4
— hiba 🏎️ (@Hiba__Chihab) November 16, 2023
