David Croft names ‘spectacular’ change he would like to see at the Las Vegas Grand Prix

For a second time this year, the Las Vegas Grand Prix will take place along the iconic strip and will see the cars traverse past some of the city’s most iconic landmarks.

The F1 race returned in 2023 after previously taking place under the ‘Caesars Palance Grand Prix’ banner in the early 80s, with Las Vegas having already seen some unforgettable moments.

The 3.8 mile street circuit is the second largest on the calendar apart from Spa Francorchamps, with drivers set to reach top speeds of 217mph on the main back straight that runs past the Bellagio Hotel.

It is also the only race of the year that takes place on a Saturday night local time, to maximise the potential viewing audience in America. This presents some logistical challenges, with teams having to work into the early hours of the night throughout the weekend.

Las Vegas GP promoters changed the schedule this year, as the race sits as the first of a triple-header with Qatar and Abu Dhabi to end the season. But F1 commentator David Croft thinks there is one other change that should be made when speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast.

David Croft would change Las Vegas Grand Prix start time

Although there is a lot of hype surrounding the race in Las Vegas, those in the UK and Europe must wake up in the middle of the night to watch a race.

This is owing to the start time locally, which is at around 10 pm in Nevada on Saturday night. Croft thinks it would be better to hold the race as a twilight event, as it would then take advantage of the night audience in Europe.

“I personally, I’d like to see the race run earlier in the day so that you go light into darkness,” said Croft.

“Around about 4:30pm time, so you’re not racing very late at night. I’m not the one to make those decisions, but we do get a race under the lights and it does look spectacular.”

How Max Verstappen can win his fourth F1 World Championship in Las Vegas

Max Verstappen heads into the Las Vegas GP weekend with one hand on the title, having outscored rival Lando Norris at the Brazilian GP.

Norris has a 62-point deficit from Verstappen, which is the same as earlier in the season when he won his first race in Miami after the Red Bull driver won the first few races with their car advantage.

After McLaren introduced upgrades for Imola and Red Bull went backwards with their car development, Norris was able to close that gap to within 40 points.

But a series of errors during the season and strategical mishaps have made life challenging for him in the Drivers’ Championship battle, with McLaren now likely to be focusing on the Constructors’ Championship given how close Ferrari now is after wins in Mexico and Italy.