Las Vegas Grand Prix: Practice Recap

FP1 under the lights in early evening saw the field searching for grip with Formula 1 the first cars to run on the 6.201-kilometer (3.853-mile), 17-turn street circuit this weekend. MoneyGram Haas F1 Team drivers Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg sampled both the Pirelli P Zero Yellow medium and Red soft tires in the opening 60-minute session. It was on the softer rubber each driver set their best lap – Magnussen claiming P11 (1:36.811) with Hulkenberg in P15 (1:37.200).

FP2 later in the Nevada night meant cooler track conditions, with air temperature hovering at 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) while track temperature averaged 12 degrees Celsius (53.6 degrees Fahrenheit). The pace of the VF-24s of Magnussen and Hulkenberg proved hotter with both cars comfortably inside the top 10 in second practice. An early stint for each driver on the medium compound was followed by qualifying sims on the soft tires. Magnussen banked a fast lap of 1:34.686 to sit P7 on the timesheets. Hulkenberg’s best effort of 1:34.818 was good for P9. High-fuel stints rounded off Thursday’s run program – Magnussen remaining on his soft tires with Hulkenberg returning to his earlier medium set.

MoneyGram Haas F1 Team ran a total of 92 laps on Thursday across FP1 and FP2 – Hulkenberg (48), Magnussen (44).



Nico Hulkenberg:

“It was a decent Thursday, no hiccups, and I felt good in the car in FP1 which is invaluable around a track like this. We’ll try and dial-in a little bit more performance, but I think we can fight to be the fifth-fastest team again and fight for points come race day.”

Kevin Magnussen:

“It’s been looking good. Like the last few races, it’s been a strong start, and the car is looking good. It’s a strange track as the surface is super slippery and you’re sliding around and graining your tires, so the track is evolving every lap and you’re gaining seconds each time. It’s hard to feel super confident as it’s clear it could change around quite a bit, but it’s a good place to build for tomorrow.”

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal:

“I think it was a decent Thursday; our pace is there or thereabouts. It wasn’t perfect but as far as practice days go, it was fine. The problem we have with tire graining, I think it’s the same for everyone, so we need to fine-tune our management to have slightly better consistency. On low-fuel pace, again there’s a bit to improve, but it’s a good starting point.”

Event: Free Practice 1 & 2 for the Las Vegas Grand Prix – Thursday November 21
Location: Las Vegas Strip Circuit, Las Vegas, Nevada
Layout: 6.201-kilometer (3.853-mile), 17-turn circuit 
FP1 & FP2 Weather: Clear
Drivers: Nico Hulkenberg, Kevin Magnussen

Free Practice 1 (FP1) Rundown:

Magnussen: 11th overall (1:36.811), 24 laps
Hulkenberg: 15th overall (1:37.200), 24 laps 
Fastest: Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes (1:35.001)

Free Practice 2 (FP2) Rundown:

Magnussen: 7th overall (1:34.686), 20 laps  
Hulkenberg: 9th overall (1:34.818), 24 laps
Fastest: Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes (1:33.825)