2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix: Preview

Hinwil, 19 November 2024 – Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber will be waking up in Vegas as it heads to Nevada for the first of the final three races of the season. After a few busy weeks back at base, the team is ready to hit the track again in the unique surroundings of the world-famous Las Vegas Strip for Formula One’s newest race – and sporting a special livery adorned with flames, representing the team’s fiery spirit and paying homage to the city’s explosive soul.

Last year’s event was spectacular on and off the circuit – and we expect this year’s show to be equally as entertaining, with opportunities the team will need to exploit to the fullest.

Team Quotes

Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative: "After a couple of weeks away from the track, we head to Las Vegas for the first race of the final triple header of the season. Although we didn’t get into the top ten, we saw positive signs from our performance in Brazil, particularly in qualifying, and we’re introducing a further update this weekend, one into which the team back home in Hinwil has been putting lots of work and we hope will continue to push us in the right direction. The focus this weekend will be on making steady progress throughout each session and staying competitive within the field, as we aim to wrap up the season on a positive note while laying the foundations for next year."

Valtteri Bottas (Car 77): "Being my last triple header for the team makes this a special moment, but this will mean an even bigger motivation to be even more competitive. Vegas had a great atmosphere last year and the race was quite exciting, so I am looking forward to this weekend. The track is trickier than it would look on paper and the low grip and low temperatures bring their own challenges, so it’s a weekend that can mix things up a little. We made some decent improvements in Brazil, especially when it came to qualifying as we got through the Q2 threshold in both the Sprint and the main qualifying, which gave us a confident boost. With new parts on the car, which have been in the pipeline for a while, I’m hopeful we’ll see even more progress this weekend. Our aim will be to quickly build up consistency in order to be able to compete with the other teams. Building on what we’ve already learned and staying focused as we start this final run of races this season will be our mission."

Zhou Guanyu (Car 24): "Coming back to Las Vegas is exciting, last year the whole event was quite interesting and, having raced here once before, we have a bit of a foundation on which to work. Brazil presented some challenges but also showed encouraging steps forward for the team, and hopefully we can build on that. We’re bringing some new parts, too, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they play out on track: the margins remain quite small, so every improvement can be significant. Our focus will be on making steady progress from the first practice session on, making sure to get comfortable with the circuit and working to keep building towards the rest of the weekend. We want to make the last three races of the season count."