A thrilling maiden race on the Las Vegas Street Circuit. Fernando spun at Turn One but came back to take P9; Lance starred with a brilliant recovery from P19 to P5.
Twelve more points added to our tally as Lance pulls off another sterling recovery from the back row to P5 – while Fernando makes it back into the points after an early spin.
After securing a podium in São Paulo, Fernando talks about the new challenge of Las Vegas and his target for the final two races of the season.
Fernando, you pulled off an incredible drive at the end of the São Paulo Grand Prix – what was going through your mind in those final laps?
"I felt like I had third position well under control until about the final five laps when Checo [Sergio Pérez] really started pushing. I didn't think his tyres would last until the end and offer him the grip he had but, clearly, he managed them well too.
"When he eventually got past into Turn One, I did think my opportunity for a podium might have gone.
"But then I stuck within DRS range and managed to get him back into Turn Four on the next lap.
"I didn't know if I finished ahead at the chequered flag because it took a while for my engineer to confirm the position. It felt like a minute before he confirmed it – but it only took a few seconds! Then I heard the screaming in the garage from the radio as my engineer confirmed.
"It was a special end to the race."
You and Lance picked up P3 and P5, respectively, last time out – how do you feel about our improved pace and the effort of Lance and the team in Brazil?
"We had some difficult weekends in Austin and Mexico, but we did learn a lot about our car.
"It's a credit to our team that we managed to bounce back with this performance in Brazil. Let's see if we can carry this momentum over into the final two race weekends at very different circuits. After Brazil, I'm very excited heading into these last two rounds of the Championship."
Have you ever been to Las Vegas before? Are you excited for this year's race?
"I have been many years ago.
"I'm interested to see how the city embraces Formula One and I’ve always enjoyed racing in America and trying new circuits."
We want to make sure we go into next season in the best position possible and with momentum on our side.
Fernando Alonso
What will the biggest challenge be for you in Las Vegas given the low temperatures and long straights?
"With any new track it takes a little time to feel familiar with it.
"It will also be interesting to see what the grip levels will be like as this is always a factor at new circuits.
"This will also be impacted by the low temperatures, which we aren't used to racing in this year. It's the opposite of Qatar, for example. There are also no support categories racing here either, so it will likely make the track more slippery when we do get out there.
"We have spent time in the simulator and we're looking at all the data we have, but in reality, we will truly get a feel for the track on Thursday during practice."
What is your target for the final two races?
"A strong finish to the season with as many points as possible.
"It's true we are all thinking about 2024 but we want to make sure we go into next season in the best position possible and with momentum on our side.
"And finally, it's important that we enjoy these final two races of 2023!"
This season has seen the third-lowest rate of retirements – 14 per cent – in F1 history. Out of 20 races this season, only seven have taken place without a Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car deployment. There have also been six red flags flown in races this season.
02
Overtaking
This circuit features two DRS zones – one on the Strip and another between Turns Four and Five – to aid overtaking. Furthermore, the long stretch from Turn 16 to Turn One, which encompasses the start-finish straight, also presents an overtaking opportunity.
03
Strategy
The softest compounds – C3, C4 and C5 – are in use this weekend. Low temperatures could mean low grip, plus graining, on the tyres. As a result, tyre preservation could prove difficult, and drivers might have to stop more than once.
We look at the weather conditions in Las Vegas together with Global Partner NetApp, a global hybrid cloud storage partner with solutions that perform across a diverse environment, allowing us to gain insights on weather-related data as well as telemetry data.
Clear skies will welcome the drivers for opening practice on Thursday in Las Vegas, with temperatures cooling to 15 degrees Celsius after the sun sets and Free Practice One begins. Free Practice Two will be slightly cooler, but conditions will remain dry.
On Friday, conditions are set to be cloudy in the evening with a low chance of rain for Free Practice Three and temperatures mirroring those on Thursday.
Saturday will see cool temperatures for Qualifying, which takes place at 00:00 local time. The race, which takes place at 22:00 local time, is set to take place under clear, starry skies – with temperatures hovering around 13 degrees Celsius.
The 6.2km lap of the Las Vegas Street Circuit begins with a left-hand hairpin that has a tight entry but quickly opens up, allowing drivers to get back on the throttle and blast through the Turn Three right-hander and down the long DRS straight, which runs towards the famous and imposing Sphere. This straight ends with the 90-degree right-hand Turn Five.
Turn Six is a fast constant-radius left-hander, followed by a chicane and a slow left-hand bend, Turn Nine, which takes drivers around the Sphere. A short straight follows and drivers then go flat out through Turns 10 and 11, braking hard into the Turn 12 left-hander.
After accelerating through the Turn 13 kink, another DRS straight follows and leads drivers down the glittering strip to the 90-degree left-hander that is Turn 14. The exit of Turn 14 comprises a chicane but drivers will likely be on the accelerator through Turns 15 and 16 as they blaze down the start-finish straight, through the flat-out Turn 17 kink, to start another lap.
How will drivers familiarise themselves with the new Las Vegas Street Circuit?
The simulator is an invaluable tool when it comes to getting to grips with a new circuit such as Las Vegas. Drivers will have turned their first laps of this track well before touching down in the city – but only on a virtual rendition.
Those simulator laps will have given our drivers a taste of what's to come but, as we haven't yet raced in Las Vegas, the differences between the sim and the real track might be more pronounced than they are at other tried and tested venues.
The three practice sessions will also give our drivers a more accurate outlook of how the car behaves on the kerbs and how best to tackle the pit entry and pit exit. They’ll be up to speed within just a few laps in Free Practice One.
In Formula One, you're constantly learning. Every lap, every mile, every second, is an opportunity to further your understanding and, ultimately, discover ways to unlock performance. In partnership with XP Inc., here are some of the key points for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
3.1
At 6.2km, the Las Vegas Street Circuit is the second-longest on the F1 calendar, behind Spa-Francorchamps.
7.5
The circuit width ranges from 12 to 15 metres wide – enough for drivers to jostle for position side-by-side.
53
With P3 in São Paulo, Fernando is level with Alain Prost on 106 career Formula One podium finishes. They are fourth on the all-time list.
118.5
The estimated average speed in km/h of a flying lap of the Las Vegas Street Circuit, which makes it one of the fastest circuits on the calendar.
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