Formula 1 will have a third race in the USA from next year after securing a deal for a Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The 3.8-mile track will include a portion of the Nevada resort city’s famous Strip.
It will be a night race and will be held on a Saturday. The eight-hour time difference will mean it is broadcast early on Sunday morning in Europe.
Las Vegas joins the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, and the new Miami event, which makes its debut in May this year.
F1 president Stefano Domenicali said: “This is an incredible moment for F1 that demonstrates the huge appeal and growth of our sport with a third race in the US.”
The move is the culmination of more than three decades of F1 trying on and off to secure a race in Las Vegas that incorporates the Strip as part of the track layout.
As such, it represents a realisation of a major ambition by F1 owners Liberty Media, who have made expanding the sport’s reach in America a key aim since taking over in 2017.
Domenicali, who was in Las Vegas for the announcement of the race along with Liberty Media chairman and chief executive officer Greg Maffei, added: “Las Vegas is a destination known around the world for its excitement, hospitality, thrills, and of course, the famous Strip.
“There is no better place for Formula 1 to race than in the global entertainment capital of the world and we cannot wait to be here next year.”
A statement from F1 said the track would “sweep past some of the world’s most legendary landmarks, hotels and casinos”.
F1 said the race will be 50 laps long and that the circuit will have “three main straights and 14 corners, including a high-speed cornering sequence and a single chicane section”.
The race is being promoted in partnership with some of the major casino and hotel groups in the city, including Caesars Palace, Wynn Las Vegas, MGM and the Venetian. (Courtesy BBC)
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