F1TV Presenter Laura Winter has voiced her opinion on the upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix, the newest race on the calendar.
Winter spoke of the challenges facing her and her colleagues covering the night race in Nevada; ‘I will Imagine I’ll be on track at 17:00 and practise starts at 20:00.
‘The next one is 23:00 and then the next day qualifying is at midnight and we’ll probably go on air at 01:00 for our post-qualifying show. So it’s all going to be a challenge.’
‘I think we’re all wrapping our heads around the time schedule along with the hype of the race as well.’
The 30-year-old, who first covered F1 at the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix, also mentioned the challenges that drivers face on a brand-new circuit;
‘I love the idea of the jeopardy and mystery of a new track, an offset schedule and a night race with cold temperatures. I think it’s set to be one of the coldest races we’ve had.’
F1’s coldest race was the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix, where tempertaures dropped to a chilly five degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit) in Montreal.
This year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix could drop to temperatures as low as four degrees Celsius (39 degrees Fahrenheit). Cheltenham’s current forecast for Sunday evening is set to be eight degrees Celsius.
Winter also talked about the hype the Grand Prix has created this season, racing in the Sin City for the first time along the iconic strip;
‘I’ve never been to Vegas myself, but I’ve heard it’s like an adult Disneyland. It’s the entertainment capital of the world, and when you add F1 to the mix it’s just ridiculous. I am terrified, but I’m looking forward to it.’
F1 has also come under scrutiny for blocking out some potential viewpoints on the iconic strip. Bridges have been put in place for sponsorship reasons, but have blocked out windows so no one can see the race.
There’s also been complaints that famous Bellagio fountains will not operate, and has been emptied of water to create a new grandstand.
However Winter said she was more focused on the story-lines on the track, saying; ‘There’ll be plenty of storylines to get your teeth stuck into. But it could be absolute chaos.’
The Las Vegas Grand Prix race will be live on Sky Sports F1, with the race start at 06:00 GMT.
