Las Vegas GP 2023, the penultimate race of the Formula 1 season. We’re talking about a highly anticipated weekend where Red Bull’s competitors will try to beat the very solid RB19. Motivations are diverse. Mercedes aims to erase the poor performance in Brazil and consolidate its second position in the constructors’ standings. Ferrari, of course, disagrees and will try to exploit the SF-23, capitalizing on its main features: a lot of power in the stretches thanks to the power unit and excellent traction.
McLaren, on the other hand, will attempt to assess whether the updates brought during the season have succeeded in reducing the drag generated by the MCL60, to gather useful data for 2024. Finally, Aston Martin, a car that, after much suffering, has finally shown a lot of competitiveness in Brazil, seeks confirmation to close 2023 as it started, trying to gather even more awareness to launch into the next season at full throttle.
F1, Las Vegas GP 2023/Track Analysis: Medium-Low Aerodynamic Load, Difficult to Keep Tires in Temperature
The U.S. track features 17 corners, 11 to the left and 6 to the right, with a total length of 6201 meters. The main characteristic of the track is the straights, the longest of which is about 2 km. In this and the straight leading from turn 4 to 5, DRS can be used, and top speeds close to 360 km/h can be reached, at least on paper. There will be a total of 50 laps for a distance of 310 km.
The race takes place on a continuously evolving city circuit. Lap times, especially in practice and qualifying sessions, will visibly decrease progressively as the asphalt is cleaned, and the tarmac improves its grip. Free practice sessions will be crucial to get acquainted with the new track and, above all, to find the correct braking points.
The low temperatures and the absence of high-speed corners could create issues in transferring energy to the tires and keeping them in the correct operating window. The long straights lead to a gradual cooling of the tires, the softest in the range provided by Pirelli. This situation can cause a clear lack of grip in slow corners and a possible understeer behavior of the cars.
According to simulations, only the first three corners are effective in generating energy on the tires. Brake thermal management will also be quite delicate, especially to tackle the braking point of turn 14 after the 2 km straight, where carbon discs could cool excessively, preventing effective braking. The layout suggests a medium-low aerodynamic configuration to facilitate high speeds on the straights.
The mechanical grip generated by the suspension kinematics will be crucial, considering that almost all corners will be taken at an average speed of about 100 km/h. Without having telemetry data yet, the only elements for a speed analysis are the onboard simulations, through which we can virtually immerse ourselves in the car and take a lap on the Las Vegas “strip.”
F1, Las Vegas GP 2023/Analysis S1: The one starting on the inside is favored. Turn 3 is the only one with aerodynamic load
As the lights go out, the drivers face a straight of about 400m that leads to turn 1. The pole sitter will start from the inside, trying to open towards the outside to have a trajectory advantage. The peculiarity of the grid is its layout along the last corner, forcing mid/final group positions to engage the clutch at a certain steering angle. After completing the installation lap, it won’t be easy to have the correct tire temperature.
In a flying lap, the goal is to cut the finish line at about 320 km/h. The aim is to keep an internal trajectory as much as possible, brushing against the curbs. At the first braking point, turn 1, the current wing cars will brake near the sign indicating 100m, to anticipate the turning point significantly and, consequently, use the width of the corner on exit to face the next turn in a single solution.
Turn 3 will be the most challenging of the entire circuit, trying to reduce partial throttle as much as possible and use the aerodynamic load generated by the car’s underfloor. It is a corner in support where the racing line will follow the curb to produce a lot of speed on exit from turn 4 and consequently tackle the straight with the possibility of opening the DRS.
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F1, Las Vegas GP 2023/Analysis S2: Combined braking in turn 6, much mechanical grip needed in the slow section
The central sector is the most technical of the track, with the presence of three slow corners around the large sphere of Las Vegas. The braking for turn 7 is the most complicated and is faced through the combination of brake and steering on exit from turn 6. Deceleration will be important to reach a speed of 100 km/h, trying to stay as close as possible to the barriers to “open” the steering wheel slightly, brake, and then widen with the least possible steering angle.
Turn 8 is completed by partializing the accelerator, while the brake is called into action at turn 9, where the turning point will be again anticipated, sacrificing the entry and being able to have the necessary traction on exit. In this small snake, the correct interaction between suspension kinematics and chassis will be crucial to control the car’s roll due to load shifts.
To conclude the speed analysis of the central sector, let’s talk about turns number 10 and 11. A section that will be easily taken flat out, while the braking for turn 12 will be faced with a slight steering angle at the exit of turn 11, without creating major issues. Also in this case, the goal is to quickly find the line of the corner to go into traction with the wheels straight, brushing against the barriers.
F1, Las Vegas GP 2023/Analysis S3: Straight at 360 km/h, important hybrid management
The third sector begins at the exit of turn 12 and features two straight sections connected by an “S” made by partializing the throttle. After turn 13, the movable wing can be opened, traveling the straight in a slight descent, where we will see most of the overtaking maneuvers and top speeds close to 360 km/h. As mentioned earlier, the braking for turn 14 will be critical because the brakes will have a non-ideal temperature.
Undoubtedly, this is the most demanding braking point for the braking system, with a deceleration of about 250 km/h. Turn 14 is tackled similarly to turn 12, and in succession, with the throttle almost at 100%, turns 15 and 16 will be faced. This sector is the most demanding for the power units. Being able to reach the end of the straight with a good percentage of battery to use will make a difference in terms of timing.
Moreover, the percentage of time with the throttle fully open is about 80%, an aspect that could weigh heavily on the reliability of the propulsion systems, especially in the final stages of the season. At the exit of the aforementioned turns, we find the last straight leading to turn 17, also traveled in “flat out,” to reach the finish line where the best qualifying time around 1 minute and 30 seconds will be sought.
Source: Leonardo Pasqual and Alessandro Arcari for FUnoanalisitecnica
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