Verstappen and Hamilton always take to new circuits like a fish in the water

Every driver is different and every driver excels under different circumstances. For example, the current Formula 1 grid has true street fighters, while others feel great on extremely smooth asphalt. What about the form of drivers on the circuit we are traveling to next weekend? With the Grand Prix of Las Vegas, the drivers will travel to a circuit where no one has driven before for the first time this season. It is therefore guaranteed that the drivers will be faced with surprises.

The addition of the Las Vegas Grand Prix is ​​part of the Americanization of Formula 1. The race along The Strip is the third Grand Prix in the United States this season. Since it is a new circuit, this form check will look at the last times the drivers went into the race weekend practically blind. This happened in 2021 with the Grands Prix of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and last season with the inaugural Grand Prix of Miami. The drivers of Haas and Williams, Oscar Piastri and Zhou Guanyu, drove less than two of these races and will therefore not be included in this form check.

Hamilton with most wins at new circuits

* Drivers with an asterisk after their name have participated in two of the three most recent editions.

Lewis Hamilton has dominated in 2021 on the new circuits added to the calendar. At the end of a nerve-wracking season, Formula 1 went to the Middle East twice more and into unknown territory. The Qatar Grand Prix was the first on the program and that became a walk in the park for the Mercedes driver. On Saturday, the seven-time world champion took pole position with an advantage of almost six tenths. On Sunday, Hamilton no longer had to look back. Max Verstappen did everything he could to keep up with the Brit, but the Mercedes car had just a little more speed. A blowout tire at Valtteri Bottas also did not leave Hamilton shaking. All Verstappen could do was take the fastest race lap to score an extra point.

In Saudi Arabia the race was a lot more exciting and the Dutchman also had a chance of victory. Verstappen seemed to be in pole position a day earlier, but had to start from P3 due to an error in his last run. The race was marked by the fiasco surrounding the return of first position. After an excellent restart, Verstappen came first after a red flag. However, Hamilton turned out to be faster, but Verstappen closed the door firmly in the first corner. Both riders went off the track, but the Dutchman remained in the lead. The Red Bull Racing driver had to give this position back. Before the last DRS detection point, Hamilton crashed into the rear of the RB16B. Despite the damage, Hamilton was able to drive to victory. That victory would have come if he had finished second, as Verstappen received a fifteen-second time penalty.

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Verstappen unapproachable in Miami on Sunday

Last season it was held for the first time in Miami. This was, just like this year, the first race in the United States that season. This time, the Grand Prix of Las Vegas will be held in America, while last year there were only two. After races in 2022, Verstappen had two wins and two retirements to his name; the other Grands Prix were won by Charles Leclerc. Due to the long straight stretch in Miami, Red Bull was the favorite. The RB18 was a lot more aerodynamically efficient compared to Ferrari’s car. However, Leclerc took pole position and Carlos Sainz completes the front row.

Verstappen started from third place and got off to an excellent start. In the first corner he already caught Sainz and was able to set his sights on his title rival. It did not take long before the Red Bull was on Leclerc’s tail and overtaking was not made difficult for the Limburger. Verstappen was then able to start working on his lead, but this gap was instantly annulled. Lando Norris and Pierre Gasly had a big crash, leaving a lot of rubbish on the track. Leclerc was able to put pressure on Verstappen again in the final phase of the race. However, the Dutchman remained calm and took his first victory in Miami.

Are surprises possible in Las Vegas?

Verstappen and Hamilton clearly have the best credentials when it comes to new circuits. The Ferrari drivers usually pick up the crumbs, despite Fernando Alonso being on the podium in Qatar, for example. Esteban Ocon is also in good shape, just like the Ferrari driver. In Miami, the Alpine driver still scored points with an eighth place, but it did not come close to his performances in Qatar and Saudi Arabia in 2021. There he achieved fifth and fourth place respectively. Sergio Pérez must mainly draw hope from the races in Qatar and Miami. He retired in Saudi Arabia after being involved in a crash.