Lewis Hamilton expects the Las Vegas GP to go well for Mercedes as the track is ‘not the most technical of circuits’

Lewis Hamilton appeared hopeful for Mercedes’s pace at the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton expects the Las Vegas GP to go well for Mercedes as the track is ‘not the most technical of circuits’

Las Vegas GP, Lewis Hamilton (via imago)

The 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix has long been the ‘most-awaited’ Grand Prix weekend in recent history as the Formula circus will be returning to the ‘Sin City’ after 40 years. The Grand Prix will sport an ‘all-new’ street circuit layout which includes the famous ‘Vegas Strip’. This new layout ensures that no team will have prior experience of driving around the eventual Grand Prix circuit. This has resulted in several teams expecting a good result at the track as they prepare to be the quickest adaptors of the new layout.

Lewis Hamilton recently joined the list of drivers and team officials hoping for a merry Sunday night at the Sin City. The Mercedes driver commented on his expectations from his team and the challenges he anticipates at the Grand Prink weekend. He talked about it [as reported by Motorsport].

I still think it's going to be a challenge and getting the tyres working this weekend [will be tough]. We're often not necessarily the quickest on the straights, so that will be a challenge – to see if we cannot lose too much on the straights, but keep up with everyone in the corners.
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The seven-time World Champion also commented on the ‘new layout’ and claimed it to be a little easier for the W14. The Mercedes man has been plagued with the inconsistency of the W14 as he has enjoyed great pace on some weekends while encountering major issues during others. Everyone at the Mercedes garage will be hoping for the W14 to be competitive around the lit-up city. It will be interesting to see whether the Silver car is able to stay at the front as the lights go out at the ‘Vegas Strip’.

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Mercedes’ former employee James Vowles is looking forward to Las Vegas GP as cold temperatures bring in more teams to the forefront

James Vowles, the Team Boss at Williams, expressed his optimism about the team’s prospects for accumulating more points at the upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix. Following a challenging race at the Brazilian GP, where Albon crashed out on the first lap and Sargeant narrowly missed out on the scoring positions with an 11th-place finish, Vowles remains hopeful about the new track favoring the strengths of the FW45.

James Vowles (via imago)
James Vowles (via imago)

Vowles emphasized the spectacle expected at the Las Vegas event and highlighted aspects of the track that align with the strengths of the Williams car. He explained, “It’s a track where if you had to pick where you were on efficiency of the car, rear wing level if you like, it’s close to Monza, maybe just about Spa, than it is to all of the other ones. In other words, in a remit where we know we have tended to perform well and where the strengths of the car lie.”

Williams is currently experiencing its most successful season since 2017, with both drivers, Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant, contributing points to the legendary team. Alex Albon has been the team’s standout performer, securing 27 out of the team’s 28 points and comfortably holding the 13th position in the driver’s standings. Despite a challenging debut season, Sargeant managed to earn the team a singular point at COTA.