The ability of a driver to switch on their tyres at this weekend’s Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix is expected to be critically important.
F1 is gearing up for one of the most hyped events in its seven-decade history when it goes racing on the streets of Las Vegas later this week.
When F1 last visited the Nevada city, it did so on a temporary circuit built in the Caesars Palace car park.
This week’s race is poised to offer an all-new spectacle for the sport.
It’s preceded by a lavish opening ceremony on Wednesday (local time) ahead of cars taking to the circuit, which includes a stretch of the world-famous Strip, on Thursday.
They’ll do so late in the evening; opening practice begins at 20:30 local time, four hours after sunset.
With mercury only expected to nudge just above 20 degrees during the day, temperatures are expected to be the coolest all season once cars head out – with the track temperature potentially in single digits.
“We’ve got the track in our offline simulation tools and our simulator, so we’re working to death to try and understand that,” explained Aston Martin’s performance director, Tom McCullough.
“What the action grip is from the tarmac, we don’t really know until we go and measure it.
“We’ve got an idea; we’ve got some guys who’ve already been out there.
“They key thing is going to be can you get the tyres working,” he added.
“Obviously [we’re] taking the softest tyres, but we’re not used to running the tyres that cold.”
F1 has typically run at least some pre-season testing in Europe but this year all three days of running were completed in Bahrain.
It was a move made due to the consistency of the weather versus the cold and unrepresentative conditions in Spain, where teams traditionally ran.
Tyres are a critical performance differentiator in F1.
The current generation of Pirelli rubber is notoriously difficult to manage, with a narrow operating window.
They are also susceptible to thermal degradation and graining should temperatures rise too high.
Managing those factors is part of Red Bull’s secret to success this year, while the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes have been more inconsistent.
At the other end of the spectrum, teams that are hard on their tyres usually show well on Saturday over a single lap, before dropping backwards in the race as they are forced to nurse their rubber – Haas is a prime example.
Cars that are traditionally easier on tyres could, therefore, be faced with a tough weekend ahead while those who have struggled to have them last a full stint could find conditions ideally suited to their machinery.
With no other races in similar conditions – all other night races are held in warm climates or with residual track temperature as the sun has just set – it poses the greatest unknown for teams all season.
Getting the balancing act right will be a critical factor all teams spend time understanding throughout the three practice sessions, starting on Thursday.
