With the Qatar Grand Prix coming to an end, Formula 1 will bid a temporary goodbye to the Middle East, as they now prepare for a train of events in the American continent. Indeed, the reasonably long journey will begin with the United States Grand Prix around the Circuit of The Americas. But, then arrive the big shots, Brazil and Mexico, two countries that have often produced a series of legendary F1 race weekends.
Interestingly enough, none of the aforementioned racing weekends are big enough when compared to the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix. Nevada and F1 have invested over $400M in the hopes of gaining much larger revenue from the viewers in and around the circuit. The build-up to the weekend has been nothing short of absolutely extravagant.
LAS VEGAS GP
Photos from the Las Vegas Street circuit undergoing construction – As of October 2023#F1 #LasVegasGP #LasVegas #USA
📸u/Puzzleheaded-Rain230 on Reddit pic.twitter.com/nY8r84WWFW— Desi Racing Co. (@DesiRacingco) October 10, 2023
Furthermore, with the Las Vegas GP being the first-ever midnight race for F1, the hype has been at an all-time high in recent weeks. And quite unsurprisingly, the focus has now entirely shifted to the circuit itself. Although the layout looks more like an inverted pig, it does feature some interesting corners and straights, with the back straight being the biggest highlight of all.
The straight looks absolutely massive, almost resembling the over 1.3-mile main straight in Azerbaijan. But, the question is, is the back straight in Las Vegas longer than the one in Baku? Read more to know the answer.
Is Las Vegas F1 straight longer than the Azerbaijan circuit?
Watching the onboard of an F1 car around Baku can be quite spectacular until they arrive at the final corner. It has often felt like the main straight in Baku was just too long. To everyone having similar thoughts, here’s an interesting truth. While Baku is lurking in and around 1.3 miles, Las Vegas is far bigger than that. Nevada’s first-ever F1 main straight runs for over 2 miles, making it the longest straight in F1 history.
And much like Baku, Las Vegas features quite a lot of straights coupled with occasional slow corners. Hence, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if the drivers end up going for near-invisible rear wings for minimal downforce. Therefore, the biggest question is, which F1 driver is prepared to reduce the weight at the rear end?
Could that prove to be the crucial deciding factor in the ultimate winner? Too many questions that remain unanswered. But, the weekend’s almost here, and all your questions will be answered! Stay tuned for more updates as the Las Vegas Grand Prix inches closer.