Weather check: It is dry and chilly. The air temperature is 18C with the track just above at 18.9C. There's a slight breeze that is acting as a headwind down the long back straight before the drivers get back on the Strip.
The grid is absolutely packed with stars, team members, media and hangers-on. No sign of the drivers, though, who are probably trying to avoid the stampede.
For all of glitz and the glamour, let's take a brief moment pre-race to focus on the, er, racing. Many will target a one-stopper (assuming no safety car interventions) but tyre graining has been a major issue this weekend. It seems if the tyres fall out of the mystical window, it will trigger many into two-stops.
But there's been a bit of trouble in the pre-race festivities, one of the cars taking around the drivers on the parade has dropped fluid on the starting grid - right on Verstappen's second place slot. A clean up job has been undertaken.
A mere 21 hours after qualifying finished, the race will, all being well, get going still on Saturday (in Vegas at least). The pitlane is now closed and all 20 drivers have made it to the grid - no pitlane starters, too!
After nearly no running in FP1 (those pesky water valve covers) to no fans in FP2, the track action got back to normal for final practice and qualifying - resulting in Leclerc claiming pole in the early hours of Saturday morning.
We are just a little over 40 minutes from lights out in Vegas. What a weekend it has been so far, with highs and lows, but can it finish with a final flourish?
