The newly-announced Las Vegas Formula 1 Grand Prix will be run on Saturday night when it appears on the calendar for the first time in 2023.
It will be the first time since 1985 a grand prix will been run on a day other than Sunday.
Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali confirmed the race will run at 10pm Las Vegas time, meaning a Sunday afternoon start for viewers on the east coast of Australia.
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“Formula 1 cannot be static,” Domenicali said, as reported by motorsport.com.
“To have a race on Saturday at 3pm, that would be a total mistake. That is the reason why we are flexible, we are showing that’s the right moment to have the best show in this context.
“I don’t see any problem on that. And if you think actually in terms of timing in Europe, the race time we have on Saturday is 10pm, Saturday night is perfect because also that audience will be connected.
https://twitter.com/F1/status/1509377253628837889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
“By the way, we could have done even earlier or later, everyone would have been connected that night with Las Vegas, no doubt.”
The addition of a race in Las Vegas means the United States will host three races in 2023, with Austin and Miami also on the calendar.
This year’s inaugural Miami race, set to take place in May, sold out in 24 hours, with much of the interest attributed to the Netflix series Drive to Survive.
“The momentum of Formula 1 has been demonstrated over the last several seasons and we’ve seen that potential turn into a reality as we watch our fanbase really grow around the world, but especially here in the USA,” Greg Maffei, President and CEO of Liberty Media, told The Associated Press.
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