Former F1 driver expects Las Vegas GP to be “tricky with low downforce and temperatures”

F1 presenter Karun Chandhok expects the Las Vegas GP to be tricky because of the cold brakes and high speeds throughout the circuit.

The Las Vegas GP on the 2023 calendar is the third and final time F1 will visit the USA this season. The hype created about the Grand Prix all season long is serving well as the city is prepared for the action-packed weekend of racing.

The track layout is made mostly of long straights with seventeen corners, which is rather less, taking the length in reference (6.201km). A low downforce setup is expected for the race, which is what former F1 driver and presenter Karun Chandhok mentioned in his X (formerly Twitter) post:

"Just did a few laps on the Vegas track on the F1 2023 game. Didn’t appreciate how fast the layout actually was until I had a go! Going to be so tricky with low downforce and low temperatures. Cold air into the brake ducts will make confidence on the brakes a challenge! #VegasGP."

The brakes in an F1 car are mainly cooled with the air coming in through the ducts on straights. Since the main straight on the track is extremely long, the brakes will cool down to a great extent because of the low downforce and high speed. This could be a hazard since drivers will have to brake with extreme pressure and the cold brakes might lock up the wheels.

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F1 World Champion unimpressed with Las Vegas GP layout

Analyzing the layout, it can be assumed that not a lot of racing action might be witnessed during the Las Vegas GP. Fans have been rather unimpressed with the lack of corners and chicanes and so is three-time World Champion Max Verstappen.

In an interview earlier, he was asked about the upcoming race. Verstappen replied the event was taking place not to race but for the "show."

"First of all, I think we are there more for the show than the racing itself if you look at the layout of the track. But you know, I'm actually not that into it. I'm more like, I'll go there and do my thing and be gone again," Motorsport quoted him," Motorsport quoted him as saying.

Although he does not like it very much, Max Verstappen has another good chance of emerging victorious at the Las Vegas GP. Red Bull runs extremely well on straights and hence there might be no other team to challenge them.