Las Vegas F1 Track Hit With Damning Verdict After Practice

Haas driver Oliver Bearman has labelled the Las Vegas Strip Circuit as "dangerous" and the "least enjoyable" street circuit on the Formula 1 calendar.

The Briton lapped the track for the first time in his career in the first two practice sessions for the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Thursday night.

First practice saw heavy running early in the session to clear the mass of dust that had collected on the track surface, with times at the end of the session slower than even the race lap record from last year's event.

Oliver Bearman, Haas | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

"Not a great combination"

Track grip was again low in FP2, not helped by a smattering of rain ahead of the session, coupled with cooler temperatures as night fell in Paradise.

Las Vegas' layout comprises of mid-speed sweepers in the first sector before tighter, heavy-braking-dependent corners for the rest of the circuit after long straights. This led to a number of drivers running down escape roads at Turns 12 and 14 across the two sessions, with lock-ups prevalent.

Assessing his first experience at the venue, Bearman said: "This is the least enjoyable street track I've driven. Normally, they're really, really fun and great. This one, really, really low grip, which is not a great combination when you have the walls very close. It's incredibly high speed, which is dangerous.

"I mean, the track itself... it's cool to be racing on the strip in Las Vegas. But aside from that, there's not much good stuff."

Friday running complete 🇺🇸🏁

A disruptive end to the session sees us bank another 35 laps 👌#HaasF1 #F1 #LasVegasGP pic.twitter.com/KGBUl9AQPP
— MoneyGram Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) November 21, 2025

Pointing to the lack of grip, Bearman added: "Of course, it's a new track for me... I was shocked by how low the grip was. It's sketchy out there. I don't know even how to describe the low level of grip that we experienced, but, in turn, that means that the evolution is incredibly high.

"So, you know, even in that session, we were quite early to get onto the soft tyre. I didn't manage to do a lap on the softs, but that meant that when I boxed, I was in a good position, and by the time I went to go out again, I suddenly was five or six tenths further away from the front.

"So, yeah, definitely big evo. It was a tricky session with the rain, with the traffic and with the interruptions, but I think we learned a lot.

"The track is new for me, so I'm also finding my rhythm around here. So I'm excited for tomorrow."

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