Formula 1’s grand return to Las Vegas has been hailed as one of the must-see motorsport spectacles of the year, but true Formula 1 fans living in the US will need to be prepared to turn their sleep schedules upside down if they want to see the action unfold on the track.
In terms of session start times, watching the Las Vegas Grand Prix will be a lot like staying up all night to watch a race in Japan or Australia. In fact, for fans on the East Coast, the race in the United States has the worst start time of the entire 2023 season.
Being a Formula 1 fan in the US usually means having something to watch while drinking coffee on Sunday mornings. Most races in Europe start around 9 a.m. ET, and even the races in Saudi Arabia and Qatar have a very comfortable light-off time of 1 p.m. ET. Meanwhile, Sunday’s Las Vegas Grand Prix starts at 1 a.m. ET.
Japan and Australia present the toughest challenge on the F1 calendar for American fans due to their extreme time zone differences. But even that weekend has an advantage over Las Vegas. No session starts after 2 a.m. ET. Saturday’s Las Vegas qualifying 3 am Eastern Standard Time
Why does the Las Vegas Grand Prix start so late? According to Liberty Media executive Renee Wilm, the start time allows more European viewers to enjoy the morning race.
Through Sports News:
“It was actually a compromise to broadcast the game at a time when our European fans could wake up at 6 or 7 in the morning with a cup of coffee. We [in the US] Watch European racing.”
The most obvious solution would have been to start the Las Vegas Grand Prix in the afternoon, like the races in Texas and Mexico City. But then F1 would lose the glamour of the night races in Las Vegas.
But racing in the middle of the night presents other challenges that can affect the quality of the product. With the temperatures so low, teams are worried about keeping their tyres warm, and Alex Albon predicted that racing in such cold conditions would be “complete chaos”.
| Las Vegas Grand Prix Start Time: |
| Exercise 1: 11:30 p.m. ET Thursday, ESPN2 |
| Exercise 2: Friday at 3 a.m. ET, ESPN |
| Exercise 3: Friday at 11:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU |
| Qualification: Saturday at 3 a.m. ET, ESPN |
| Gyeongju: Sunday at 1 a.m. ET, ESPN |
Here’s what fans are saying about the weekend’s schedule:
Wow, this track schedule in Vegas is weird!! That said, everything looks pretty good. Every first year event has its hiccups and issues, but hopefully this one will go relatively smoothly!
— James Hinchcliffe (@Hinchtown) November 15, 2023
Literally every other game that is played outside of the US is played in a time zone that is better for Americans to watch.
What’s the point of American racing that most people don’t see? 3am ET/2am CT/1am MST qualifying and 12am/11pm starts!?
— L (@randomdude1347) November 15, 2023
Starting at 10 p.m. in Las Vegas on Sunday night and 1 a.m. on the East Coast is not the way to get Americans to watch.
— Mescal kid Jr (@jamesgusmano) November 16, 2023
I woke up at 1am to watch the drivers arrive at the Vegas track, but ended up watching Jared Leto and Keith Urban’s Super Bowl F1 halftime show. pic.twitter.com/EknCjCsZG4
— Hiba
(@Hiba__Chihab) November 16, 2023
