Why is the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix on a Saturday?

The 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix was the first Formula 1 grand prix to not be held on a Sunday for 38 years, an arrangement that is being repeated this weekend.

On Saturday 23 November will be the second edition of the Las Vegas GP after its star-studded debut on the F1 calendar last year.

Kylie Minogue performed a concert, all 20 drivers partook in an opening ceremony along the start-finish straight, while Max Verstappen was eventually victorious in a race that featured 99 overtakes – the most of any grand prix since China in 2016.

It was an event that went against the grain. That was evidenced by the schedule, as traditionally F1 hosts its grand prix weekends from a Friday to Sunday.

Yet everything was a day earlier for Vegas, so why is this the case? 

Why is the F1 race in Las Vegas on Saturday?

The Las Vegas GP is on Saturday because of a bid from F1 to get as many global viewers as possible for its new, glamorous event.

Las Vegas, which sits in the western US state of Nevada, is eight hours behind the United Kingdom and nine behind central Europe and it being a night race makes the time difference complicated.

That’s because if F1 kept to its traditional schedule of holding the race on a Sunday with a 10pm start – a time that is currently in place – it would be a Monday morning in Europe meaning several fans are leaving for work, or education, rather than watching the grand prix. 

There is of course the option of staging the race during daytime, but that was always a no-go for F1. Las Vegas is the self-styled entertainment capital of the world, so F1 wanted to host its grand prix during the city’s primetime meaning the skyline was vibrant with neon lights while cars raced down the world famous Strip with those at the track partying alongside.

On top of that, if the race was held just a few hours earlier, then the grand prix would be in the middle of the night for European viewers forcing many of them to watch the race on catch-up – so 6am GMT or 7am CET is a sensible enough time for non-American fans to watch.

F1 needs the Las Vegas GP to be a success because in a unique arrangement, it is also the event promoter and wants to maximise the return on its investment. Staging the event when it can attract as many viewers as possible will only help its cause.

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix full schedule

F1 cars will return to the track on Thursday evening local time in Las Vegas

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Thursday 21 November/Friday 22 November
Las Vegas GP Free Practice 1: 6:30pm local time, 2:30am GMT
Las Vegas GP Free Practice 2: 10pm local time, 6am GMT

Friday 22 November/Saturday 23 November
Las Vegas GP Free Practice 3: 6:30pm local time, 2:30am GMT
Las Vegas GP Qualifying: 10pm local time, 6am GMT

Saturday 18 November/Sunday 19 November
Las Vegas GP: 10pm local time, 6am GMT

When did F1 last hold a race on a Saturday before the Las Vegas Grand Prix?

F1 racing on a Monday? Pictured is Wolfgang von Trips winning the 1961 Dutch GP in a Ferrari

Photo by: LAT Photographic

The 2024 Las Vegas GP will become the 77th official F1 world championship grand prix to not be held on a Sunday, as every day of the week has actually hosted a race.

Saturday was the first day of the week to hold a championship round, as the 1950 season-opening British GP occurred on the 13 May at Silverstone. The British GP then continued to be held on a Saturday every year until 1975.

So in F1’s early days, it was common for world championship races to not run on a Sunday. That’s especially because of the Indianapolis 500, which was on the calendar between 1950 and 1960 and traditionally, the great American race was held on 30 May.

But if that date fell on a Sunday, then the Indy 500 would happen on the following Monday meaning The Brickyard has held its famous event across various days.

As F1 ploughed through its seasons though, it became the norm for grands prix to happen on Sundays. That meant Vegas last year was the first non-Sunday race since the 1985 South African GP, held on a Saturday, as the Kyalami event used to alternate its days as well. For example in 1968, the South African GP took place on New Years’ Day, which was a Monday.

But 2023 wasn’t the first time F1 had visited Vegas, as the city held the Caesars Palace GP in 1981 and 1982, with those races also happening on a Saturday. 

List of F1 grands prix not held on a Sunday