LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — It's only been a few weeks since the inaugural Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix but planning is already underway for the 2024 race.
Silvia Bellot, the Senior Director of Operations for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, said her team is currently going through debrief sessions and looking at ways to improve. That includes track operations.
"I think one of the biggest [challenges] was closing and opening the track. We had been practicing for months but until that Wednesday morning, we didn't have the chance to put together the 200 people that took care of closing the track every day," Bellot said during a 2023 Epartrade Race Industry Week session. "I think we had a really, really good result but we have to go back over the next few weeks to increase the efficiency of the process."
Bellot said crews got faster and faster as the week progressed.
"[With the Las Vegas Grand Prix] 20% of our track is on private properties and 80% is on public roads. Just setting up a track in a city like Las Vegas is a challenge itself. We had 37 different areas that we had to open and close every day. There were a lot of pieces that we had to move every day," Bellot said. "I thought organizing a race in eight weeks in Qatar in 2021 was a challenge. But here in Las Vegas, the challenge was much, much bigger. Closing one of the most entertaining, crowded streets in the world, like the Las Vegas Strip, was completely on another level."
As for the race itself, Bellot said the track led to unique challenges for teams, which made it one of the best races this season.
"There are several things that made the racing really good. Going into a new track, the unknown is the biggest factor. I think for the teams, we know they spend a lot of hours in the simulator. But until they reach the track and they actually see what they will find on the asphalt, what the temperatures are, what the track looks like, it's not the same. Instead of all the teams having the data and making adjustments, it was the other way around," Bellot said. "[Another thing] was the pole position of the grid. The pole position was just 200 meters from Turn 1. On a normal track, this was 250 meters. But due to the layout in Las Vegas, the pole position was closer to the grid. I think it was definitely a plus."
She added that the track layout also allowed drivers to push the pedal to the metal.
"With the DRS zone, I think it was the perfect length to allow the brave drivers to overtake in that Turn 14, Turn 15 corner. That's where we saw Charles LeClerc take over Sergio Perez," Bellot said. "Then, the lower temperatures. It was unexpected to come to Las Vegas and realize it was colder. I think the tires had less degradation and it makes the drivers go even faster and go for it and not have to preserve the tires."
After months and months of planning, Bellot said she was proud of her team for pulling the race off.
"I don't think I had the chance for it to sink in until after the race was over. Everything was real for me when I had the chance to go home and watch the race. As soon as I saw the helicopter shot from the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit, I couldn't stop crying," Bellot said. "At that specific moment, I realized how big it was and what we did. When i saw the images for the first time, I couldn't believe what the Las Vegas Grand Prix put together. I think it was the biggest race ever."
So what can people expect for the 2024 race?
"[Going into year one], we put a lot of effort into explaining to properties and partners what Formula 1 is. Now that everybody has seen what it is and what we can deliver, we'll have more support this year. The community is also a very, very important partner. We are here to deliver entertainment but we are also here to give back to the community," Bellot said. "We'll have more surprises for 2024. There are more fun things to come and everyone will be excited by the next couple of races. Everybody thinks that year one is difficult because it's new. But in year two, everyone expects perfection. So I think the next few months, we'll have a lot of debrief with all of our partners to make sure we deliver an even better event for 2024."
