Yeah typical Max race, amazing finish between Alonzo and Checo!
Really wish they had a high-speed camera at the finish line. I know it doesn’t come down to a photo finish very often in f1, but in times like this it would have been amazing to see!
Ferrari is really in a downward spiral, how often does someone wreck their car on a formation lap?
MtM
Also, it would have been nice to have the finish line at the location of the chequered flag. For some reason the finish line at Interlagos does not coincide with the start line. Rather it is situated close to the starting position P8, approx 60 metres (150 feet?) away. Thus it was much less close than it seemed at first. I believe Alonso was about three quarters car length in front at the finish.
On the other hand, if the finish line was at start line then I believe Perez would have been third. And I much rather see a successful fightback of an Aston Martin than another Red Bull gaining a position.
It’s like that for most tracks.
It is?
The only track I know of like that (not an F1 circuit) is Mid-Ohio, where they start races on the longer back straight and finish on the short front straight.
Which other F1 tracks do this, and why?
Not sure why.
But look at CoTA, red bull ring, uhhh,…others. The timing line, at least for practice/qualifying (which might be the difference?) Is usually a few tens of meters after the last corner even the race start is well down the straight.
It is for two reasons. One is to accommodate larger grids that can line up in a straight line. Taking off on a corner can be more difficult and results in a disadvantage to whoever has to round the corner during the start. The other is for IndyCar and other series that need to place the pit entry after the lap end. (I thought IndyCar had raced at interlagos at one point, but apparently not. Is for one or other South American championships.)
What the hell? Just checked my DVR to make sure Vegas will be recorded correctly, and…
Practice at Midnite? Race at 10 at night?
Okay, I kinda ‘get it’ (needs to cater to the rest of the World I guess) but I’m tellin’ ya. This time of year, Vegas can get COLD when the sun goes down. All the pavement does act as a heat-sink, but still. Desert gets chilly!
This is going to be interesting… I predict a Debacle, but interesting.
The Strip looks much less impressive in the sun light as well!
Yeah I’m curious how the low temperatures will affect racing. Probably lots of soft “tyers” being used up!
Oh and believe it or not, Max has an opinion on the Las Vegas race!
https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/16/sport/max-verstappen-las-vegas-grand-prix-f1-spt-intl/index.html
MtM
Should be an interesting race as the tires cool down as they drive down the Strip, just to slam on the brakes going into T14. That’s “fun” enough at normal temperatures. 44° Farenheit is downright chilly.
Watching FP1 at the bar w/o sound. 8 min in, sainz car dies on track. Red flag. Now they’re saying session will not be resumed?! What’s up with that? Seems like it should be a simple car recovery. No barriers were hit or anything.
Ah, ok. Now they’re saying “track repairs”
Brand new track for everyone and now they’re only getting 2 practice sessions instead of 3? Spicy.
I’m upping it from debacle to total shit show.
And still probably the best Grand Prix that Las Vegas has ever hosted.
Maybe they can move the race to a parking lot by Saturday.
Also, some public works employees are going to make a fuckton of overtime this week.
Half a billion dollar track/race/spectacle derailed by a valve box cover. I’m starting to think Max might be right about this one.
Wow, it was one of the small (about 8" diameter) valve box cover, and not a bigger 22" or so manhole cover. The small valve box cover probably weighs 10 pounds or so, that thing could be a huge hazard if it was kicked up in traffic. Small enough to easily pass through the halo openings.
I was in Las Vegas last May. All kinds of road construction happening on the Strip, in preparation for the F1 race.
A friend who lives there, and with whom I connected in person last May, said that a lot of Las Vegans (who are not necessarily vegans, but you get the idea) were sick and tired of the idea. It screwed up traffic, meaning she had to find a longer way to work, and as one who spent two hours on the Deuce bus from the Strip to Downtown, which is normally a thirty-minute trip, I can understand her frustration with construction delays, with restrictions on roads, and whatnot.
I hope that the race goes well. Then, I hope that the fences come down, and Las Vegas gets back to normal. My friend does too. It seems to me that shutting down a major artery for a car race in a place that depends on that road artery is something that never should have been considered.
I’ve been to Las Vegas; not sure I’d ever describe it as “normal”.
I assume that if this does become an annual event, it will be less disruptive in the future. They won’t need to repave the Strip every year. For that matter, roads need occasional repairs whether they’re hosting a race or not. Maybe the race just hastened a repaving that would have been needed soon, anyway.
Just put a fucking Tech-Pro barrier around it and create a temporary chicane and GET ON WITH IT!