Why is the Las Vegas F1 Grand Prix on so late at night? Reason behind late start and no race on Sunday

Max Verstappen will attempt to win the Formula 1 drivers' championship for the fourth season running when the 2024 season returns to Las Vegas this weekend.

The Red Bull driver's dominant performance in Brazil last time out struck a blow to the challenge of McLaren's Lando Norris and placed Verstappen within touching distance of another title.

The Dutch driver was victorious at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit in the inaugural race in Paradise, Nevada last year, so he will feel confident of getting the result he needs as F1 returns for another big event in the United States.

Just like last year, the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix will take place at night, making for some strange viewing times both in the U.S. and around the world. It will also be staged on Saturday local time, rather than in the more traditional Sunday slot.

The Sporting News explains the unusual scheduling of one of the quirkier events in the F1 calendar.

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Why is the F1 so late at night in Las Vegas?

The 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix starts at 10 p.m. local time on Saturday, November 24, making it midnight or later for many viewers in the United States. This is the same start time as it was for last year's race.

The reason? Global broadcasting opportunities.

Las Vegas Grand Prix CEO Renee Wilm explained the decision in 2023, saying: "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 [at] six, seven in the morning, very similar to how we [in the US] watch the European races.

"So that was actually a very important component of planning out our sequencing for the race weekend."

Of course, staging a night-time race amid the neon glow of the Strip also adds a certain aesthetic lustre to the event, much like those in Singapore and Bahrain.

This is the @F1LasVegas Grand Prix 🙌#F1 #LasVegasGP pic.twitter.com/zr9iPUiwr3

Formula 1 Las Vegas schedule 2024

Below is the schedule for the Vegas race weekend for 2024, including start times in some of the major territories.

Practice 1

The first practice session is on Thursday, November 21, with the drivers out on the circuit from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. local time (PT).

Practice 2

The second free practice session begins around two and a half hours after the first is concluded, giving teams and drivers a flavour of the night-time conditions ahead of the weekend.

Practice 3

FP3 is held on Friday, November 22 at 6:30 p.m. local time.

Qualifying

Qualifying follows later that evening — again, approximately two and a half hours after the previous session finishes — and should largely reflect the race conditions.

Las Vegas Grand Prix

The main event takes place on Saturday in Las Vegas, with a start time of 10 p.m. local time. While this makes it a Saturday race for the locals, much of the watching world will be viewing it on a Sunday as usual.

How to watch Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024

Here is how to watch the race in some of selected major territories:

F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024 TV channel

F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024 live stream