Liam Lawson of New Zealand ahead of the 2024 F1 Grand Prix of United States at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas. Photo: AFP
Las Vegas schedule (NZ times)
Friday, 22Nov: 3:30pm practice 1
Friday, 22 Nov: 7pm practice 2
Saturday 23 Nov: 3:30pm practice 3
Saturday 23 Nov: 7pm qualifying
Sunday 24 November: 7pm race
Max Verstappen will be top billing in Las Vegas this weekend, but New Zealand driver Liam Lawson is hoping to play more than a supporting role.
Formula 1 is in Sin City for the second year with defending champion Verstappen just needing to beat closest rival Lando Norris to claim the drivers title for the fourth consecutive year.
For Lawson it's another circuit that he has never driven before.
However that has been the case since his return to the competition last month and he's managed to score points twice.
The circuit is fast with a top speed of 350km/h recorded down the strip during last year's race while there were 99 overtakes recorded during the race, the most in F1 since 2016.
"I can't wait to race in Vegas, it's an iconic place, with a very unique track," Lawson told RB.
"It looks quite tricky with a lot of combined braking zones in places. It's a fast track; obviously we drive down the strip with a very long straight, which allows for some overtaking.
"It looks like it's going to be quite cold conditions, similar to last year, so it's going to be a challenge for sure, but I'm super pumped to be racing under the lights.
"I was there last year watching and wishing I was driving, so it's an exciting feeling going into the week knowing I'll be in the car this time."
Photo: AFP
Lawson has four points from his three races so far after finishing ninth in both Austin and Sao Paulo.
He has three races left this season to impress the Red Bull management and secure a permanent drive in 2025.
Lawson's RB team unveiled a special 'glitter' livery for the race under lights this weekend.
New livery for Liam Lawson's VCARB RB team for Las Vegas 2024 race. Photo: supplied / Red Bull
Meanwhile McLaren's Lando Norris must score three points more than his Red Bull rival -- requiring at least a top eight finish even if Max Verstappen draws a blank -- to delay the inevitable for one more week and continue the title 'battle' to Qatar.
Verstappen has a 62-point lead with 60 to be won after Las Vegas, meaning the Dutch driver can lose two points to Norris and still secure the title on wins given he has eight to the Briton's three.
The reigning champion won on the gaudy, floodlit Strip last season, despite a five-second penalty and later collision, to complete a U.S. triple, while Norris hit the wall on lap three and retired.
In the constructors' championship McLaren is 36 points clear of Ferrari at the top.
That battle, with McLaren chasing a first constructors' championship since 1998 and Ferrari their first since 2008, could go down to the wire in Abu Dhabi with Red Bull not out of the running either.
The defending champions are 49 points behind McLaren with three rounds remaining.
Last year's race in Las Vegas was the single largest sporting event in the city's history, producing an economic impact of nearly US$1.5 billion, according to organisers.
More than 10,000 general admission tickets have been added this time.
The race is run on a Saturday night in Las Vegas primarily to suit a European television audience, while Saturday night is the most popular night for visitors in the city.
This weekend's Grand Prix could be one of the coldest with a chance the temperature will be in single figures come race time of 10pm.
While the engine works well in cold temperatures, the tyres and drivers don't.
-RNZ with additional reporting from Reuters