LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — We are just days away from Formula 1's Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Drivers have started arriving in the valley, including Williams Racing's Alex Albon who met and spoke with fans during a Q&A session at the team's Fan Zone on the Brooklyn Bridge at the New York-New York casino.
According to Albon, the inaugural event will present several challenges due to "so many unknowns".
"I think it's going to be complete chaos," Albon said. "Obviously, there's the track but more than anything, it's the temperature. We haven't raced in this kind of temperature at all this year."
Albon explained that tire temperature is key to maintain grip and function.
"The tires, basically, if you drive too slowly, they get too cold. When they get too cold, it's not like a road car. They literally don't work. You've got to drive quick enough and hard enough to make sure they're working all the time," Albon said. "There's not much you can do. If we can't get temperature into the tires, you're going to see a lot of cars crashing."
Albon said he thinks it will be harder during the race compared to qualifying due to the race being later at night when temperatures can continue to drop. As for the circuit itself, he said there are other things that could distract drivers and make it harder to focus.
"The layout of the circuit, I drove it on the simulator and it's hard. It's strange because the layout is quite simple. But to drive it, it's hard because of the corner speeds and the braking points," Albon said. "With all the lights around you, it's really hard to be precise."
Those lights include Sphere, which presents another challenge.
"On the simulator, you go into this one section of track and the whole track's blue. I feel like it's some Smurf land but it's unique," Albon said. "I was thinking what's the requirement? Can you pay the company who owns this thing to put something on there? You can have an embarrassing photo of a driver. I think it would work but I think it would cost a bit too much money."
According to Albon, drivers have been keeping track of how people are reacting to the race being held in Las Vegas and he's interested in seeing how things play out.
"What we see on the web and what we read about is quite split. This race, there are people that are just enjoying it. I guess in some ways, it's a pain in the ass as well," Albon said. "When we go around the world and we race in Europe, that's always been seen as our home. When we come to Silverstone, that's almost the mecca for Formula 1. It's always the one where the teams are based around it. We're now coming to America and in terms of fans and passion, it's amazing to see. It's almost superseding these European tracks and it's crazy to see. I think it's going to be truly a one-of-a-kind race and it's going to be one of those special races."
