The Las Vegas GP track layout uses part of the infamous Vegas strip for the Formula 1 race.
This article provides full details of the new circuit layout, plus looks at the route the track will take past the casinos, hotels, landmarks and lights of Las Vegas.
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Previous Las Vegas Grand Prix track
Prior to 2023, the only other time a Formula 1 Grand Prix has been held in Las Vegas was 1981 and 1982.
For those two years it was called the Caesars Palace Grand Prix, and a temporary circuit was set up in the parking lot of the Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino.
The track was completely flat and concrete barriers were used to mark the layout. The F1 drivers didn’t like the track and found it boring to drive.
Evidently the fans thought the same; spectator numbers were lower than expected and after 2 years, F1 in Las Vegas left the building.
See my article on the Las Vegas F1 history for more info.
Fast forward over 40 years and here we are, excited for the return of Formula 1 to Sin City.
2023 Las Vegas GP track layout
Below is the layout for the 2023 Las Vegas GP track, officially called the Las Vegas Strip Circuit.
The Las Vegas F1 track is 3.8 miles / 6.12km long. The race will last for 50 laps.
Based on the F1 ’23 game simulations it looks like lap times will be somewhere around 1 minute 30 seconds.
The Las Vegas GP track layout has a total of 17 corners. Some of these, such as the chicane at Turns 7, 8 and 9 are likely to see the cars dip to speeds as low as 100kph / 62mph.
Turn 17, on the other hand, will be attacked flat-out at close to 320kph / 200mph.
I walked the track layout on the morning of Wednesday 16th November just 1 day before the streets are shut down for the first F1 sessions. Here’s the video of my track walk:
Las Vegas Grand Prix route
The new Las Vegas GP track layout will be a temporary street circuit built on the streets of Las Vegas. It will use part of the main Las Vegas strip whilst passing countless Vegas landmarks.
The image below shows a map of the Las Vegas Grand Prix route.
- The start / finish straight and turns 1 to 4 will all take place on a newly laid piece of tarmac in what was previously a parking lot.
- Between turns 4 and 5 the circuit will head north on Koval Lane.
- Between turns 5 and 6 the Vegas GP track layout will head east on Westchester Lane.
- Turns 7, 8 and 9 will use a newly laid piece of tarmac around the site of the Sphere.
- At Turn 9 the circuit will join Sands Avenue where it will head west until Turn 12.
- Between turns 12 and 14 the Vegas F1 circuit will head south down the Las Vegas Boulevard, otherwise known as the Las Vegas Strip.
- From Turn 14 all the way to Turn 17 it will head east on East Harmon Avenue, before the slight left kink of Turn 17 takes it back to the start / finish straight.
Here’s a 3D visualisation of the circuit running around Las Vegas:
On the long run between turns 12 and 14 along Las Vegas Boulevard the Formula 1 cars will pass right in front of some of the most famous hotels and casinos in Las Vegas.
See our guide to the best, cheapest and most expensive Las Vegas F1 hotels that surround the circuit.
Below is a list of the casinos along the Las Vegas strip that will have direct views of the circuit:
- The Palazzo
- The Venetian
- Treasure Island
- The Mirage
- The LINQ
- Flamingo
- Caesars Palace
- Bellagio
- Paris Hotel
- Cosmopolitan
- Planet Hollywood
- ARIA
If you want a room with a track view during the Formula 1 weekend, expect to be paying many thousands of dollars for a single night in any of those hotels!
Most of the hotels above will be hosting their own Vegas F1 parties with big artists and DJs performing across the weekend.
The other infamous landmark the circuit passes is the new Sphere. This huge dome is a screen that can display anything, and is already an unmissable sight in Vegas.
The Sphere will host the majority of the concerts taking place at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The area between turns 5 and 9 surrounding the Sphere is also the Vegas F1 General Admission zone.
The Las Vegas GP track layout runs right past the Sphere at turns 7, 8 and 9. This part of the track will be surrounded by a number of the Las Vegas F1 grandstands, giving it a real stadium atmosphere.
Las Vegas F1 DRS Zones
There are 2 DRS Zones on the Las Vegas Formula 1 circuit.
One of these is on the short Koval straight between turns 4 and 5. The other is on the second half of the long run along the Vegas strip, between turns 13 and 14.
When I walked the track on the Wednesday before the race weekend the DRS signs were already in place, as you can see from the video above.
The first DRS zone has a detection point 10 metres after Turn 2 and an activation point 20 metres after Turn 4.
The second DRS zone has a detection point 710 metres afer Turn 12 and an activation point 820 metres before Turn 14.
Using the whole of the Las Vegas Strip between turns 12 and 14 would have been too long for the DRS zone. That’s why it starts after Turn 13.
How long is the straight on the Las Vegas GP track?
The longest straight on the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit is 1.92km / 1.20 miles long.
That’s the run from Turn 12 all the way down to Turn 14, and whilst technically it’s not straight it is completely full-throttle the whole way.
This will be the fastest point on the circuit and the Formula 1 cars are expected to reach over 210mph at this point.
That is not downtown Las Vegas.
You’re right – I updated the text, thanks!
Will the Art District be affected by traffic or does it not go by there? I don’t know the area but I’ll be visiting
Hi Spencer, the track doesn’t go that far north. But expect the traffic to be chaos around there with the knock-on effect of closing the roads for the race.
Your map shows the hard rock hotel, that went out of business years ago.
Good spot James, I’ll get it updated.
The location for the Newly located Hard Rock is correct.
Hard rock sold the old location (where Virgin Hotel now sits) and purchased their new location (the Mirage) which you correctly pinned on the map. The new Hard Rock will feature a newly built and branded “guitar-shaped” hotel tower. This is all pending construction, but the design did receive Clark County Commission approval.
Thanks David