Ricciardo Calls For Change To 'Sketchy' Schedule After 'Hallucinating' In Las Vegas

F1
Thursday, 23 November 2023 at 08:00
Updated at Thursday, 23 November 2023 at 13:48
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Daniel Ricciardo issued concerns about drivers' safety following the latest race of the season - the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
One of the main concerns in relation to the Las Vegas Grand Prix has been the late-night session times. The qualifying session started at 12 am local time, and the race started at 10 pm the same day.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner urged F1 to move the session times for the 2024 season as he said: "Everybody's leaving Vegas slightly f****d." AlphaTauri F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo said:
"It was definitely sketchy, I don't know what they can do with the track opening times, but if they do have flexibility, I think for everyone's health and safety, they need to bring it forward. Everyone would be operating with just a bit more juice in the tank."
Neither F1 drivers nor their teams are used to staying up so late and not running under ideal conditions, which decreases their performance and increases the risk of accidents.
"After Thursday and that late session (with Free Practice 2 not finishing until 04:00 Friday local time), I feel like all of us have probably been delirious and hallucinating."
The Honey Badger himself suggested the Las Vegas Grand Prix as an addition to the calendar a few years ago, but now that it has become a reality, he has a few improvements in mind:
"It's been a whirlwind. The paddock is huge, it's had a bit of atmosphere but the only two things I would critique would be the asphalt, we just need to get some more grip out of it, and the start times."
Las Vegas Grand Prix is scheduled to be the first race of the triple-header ending the 2024 season. Being informed about that, Ricciardo responded:
"That does not get my vote, now knowing that, they need to bring [the Las Vegas schedule] forward, because we'll be wrecked."