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Drivers call for F1's Las Vegas race to move away from Abu Dhabi finale

Several Formula 1 drivers have led calls to decouple the Las Vegas Grand Prix from races in the Middle East as the double-header with Abu Dhabi is set to become a triple-header in 2024.

Filip Cleeren
Filip Cleeren
Edited:
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19
F1's inaugural race around the Strip's casinos provided an enthralling spectacle on Saturday night, vindicating the series' decision to chase a race in the gambling capital.
While drivers and team were all pleased with how the event was run, the punishing schedule was one outstanding piece of feedback.
As teams travelled eight timezones west to then work on what was effectively the Japanese Grand Prix's schedule, several team bosses are hoping the race's timetable can be brought forward by a few hours next year.
F1 personnel's fatigue will only be compounded by a double-header with Abu Dhabi, which will involve a long journey with a shift of 12 timezones to the east.
AlphaTauri's Daniel Ricciardo was shocked to learn that next year the Vegas race will be the start of a triple-header, with a race in Qatar squeezed in between the American race and Abu Dhabi's season finale, and the Australian is calling for that to be changed in the future.
When told it was a triple-header, he said: "What!? No way!
"Yeah, that does not have my vote. And now, knowing that, they need to bring it forward, because we will be wrecked, especially end of the season.
"I've done like six races, and I already feel it, so hopefully they can make something work.
"After Thursday, after that late [FP2] session, I feel like probably all of us have been a little bit delirious and hallucinating, so it felt like a bit of a whirlwind since then."
Daniel Ricciardo, AlphaTauri AT04, Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo C43, Logan Sargeant, Williams FW45

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Daniel Ricciardo, AlphaTauri AT04, Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo C43, Logan Sargeant, Williams FW45

Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who clinched his 18th win of the season last weekend, agreed that a new date for Las Vegas would be a plus, and suggested twinning it with another race in North America.
"For next year maybe that is not possible but to maybe make it a bit better travelling also to Abu Dhabi," he added.
"At the moment it's such a big time shift that, especially at the end of the season when everyone is already a bit tired, I think it's a little bit much.
"So, maybe it would be ideal to find a different kind of date because I find that maybe we need to do more of an American tour.
"Of course, maybe for ticket sales I don't know if that's ideal, so maybe we can find a bit of a solution there. 
"I think the 12-hour time zone shifts and also completely different timings for racing, I find that a bit much."
His team-mate Sergio Perez backed Vegas becoming the season finale in the future.
"I think it was a great first event but like Max says, just to think about that we have to go now to Abu Dhabi, probably the longest distance that we have to travel the whole year...
"So yeah, probably look at it and make Vegas the final race."
Additional reporting by Adam Cooper
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