The Las Vegas Grand Prix is one of Formula 1’s newest events. It joined the calendar in 2023 with a fresh layout that runs through the heart of the city, including a long flat-out section along the famous Strip. Although this version of the race is new, Las Vegas does have a short and unusual history in Formula 1. The city previously hosted the Caesars Palace Grand Prix in 1981 and 1982, held in a hotel car park.

The modern layout may look impressive, but the surface proved extremely slippery during practice. Drivers struggled to find grip on the newly built track, and conditions became even tougher as light rain fell between the sessions. Haas rookie Oliver Bearman was one of the drivers caught out by how tricky the circuit felt.

He finished the first practice session in sixteenth place and the second in seventeenth. He explained to Sky Sports F1 that the low grip made his first laps surprisingly difficult. “Honestly, those first few laps I did in FP1, of course it is a new track for me, I was shocked by how low the grip was. It is sketchy out there. I do not even know how to describe the low level of grip that we experienced, but in turn that means that the evo is incredibly high.”

Track evolution played a big part in his day. As more cars ran, the surface improved quickly. Bearman said this made the performance gap change within minutes. “We were quite early to get onto the soft tyre. I did not manage to do a lap on the soft, but that meant that when I boxed I was in a good position and by the time I went to go out again I suddenly was five or six tenths further away from the front.”

Rain, traffic and several interruptions added to the challenge. “It was a tricky session with the rain, with the traffic and with the interruptions, but I think we learnt a lot. The track is new for me so I am also finding my rhythm around here so I am excited for tomorrow.”

When asked how Las Vegas compared to other modern street tracks such as Jeddah and Baku, Bearman was very clear. “This is the least enjoyable street track I have driven. Normally they are really, really fun and great. This one is really, really low grip, which is not a great combination when you have the walls very close. It is incredibly high speed, which is dangerous.”

He noted that one part of the experience still felt special. “The track itself, it is cool to be racing down the Strip in Las Vegas, but aside from that there is not much good stuff.”