TOKYO—Racing is hard. It's hard on the teams, it's hard on the owner's bank account, it's hard on the cars, and it's especially hard on the drivers. Driving at the edge for a few hours in a vehicle cockpit that's only slightly wider than your frame can take a toll.
The A2RL (Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League) removes one of those elements from its vehicles but, in doing so, creates a whole new list of complexities. Say goodbye to the human driver and hello to 95 kilograms of computers and a whole suite of sensors. That setup was poised to be part of a demonstration "race" against former F1 driver Daniil Kvyat at Suzuka Circuit in Japan during the Super Formula season finale.
But again, racing is hard, and replacing humans doesn't change that. The people who run and participate in A2RL are aware of this, and while many organizations have made it a sport of overselling AI, A2RL is up-front about the limitations of the current state of the technology. One example of the technology's current shortcomings: The vehicles can't swerve back and forth to warm up the tires.
Dance, who owned six-time Group 1 winner Laurens and co-owned Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up Bravemansgame, has been charged with nine criminal offences
The 2024 F1 season featured plenty of drama and memorable moments on the track.
We saw everything from an impressive rookie debut to a feisty battle for the drivers' championship.
This article is part of "Behind the Wheel," a series about the highly competitive and high-tech world of Formula 1.
From an impressive rookie debut to Max Verstappen winning his fourth-straight drivers' championship, this Formula 1 season was chock-full of drama, first-ever wins, and career-defining moments.
With just one more race left in the year, we take a look back at the defining moments of this F1 season.
The rookie driver Oliver Bearman's last-minute call-up and impressive drive
Oliver Bearman was a last-minute replacement for Carlos Sainz in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Clive Rose/Getty Images
In just the second race of the season, Ferrari had to call up 18-year-old reserve driver Oliver Bearman. Taking the place of Carlos Sainz, who had to undergo an emergency appendectomy, Bearman shocked the F1 world with a seventh-place finish at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Bearman's impressive driving undoubtedly helped earn him a full-time F1 seat, as he would later sign with Haas.
Carlos Sainz's quick recovery and victory
Sainz celebrating his victory at the Australian Grand Prix, his first race since undergoing an emergency appendectomy.
Clive Mason - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
Just 16 days after undergoing emergency surgery in Saudi Arabia, Sainz returned to his Ferrari and took home the checkered flag in Australia. Sainz's quick recovery and victory carried even more significance as it was announced before the season that Lewis Hamilton would take his seat in 2025 — meaning Sainz would be a free agent after this season. The Spanish driver eventually signed with Williams Racing.
Zhou Guanyu drives in his first home race
Zhou Guanyu was finally able to drive in his first home race. The Chinese Grand Prix took place in Shanghai, where Zhou was born.
Bryn Lennon - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
While Zhou Guanyu made his Formula 1 debut in 2022, the Chinese Grand Prix was suspended for a few years because of the pandemic. The Chinese driver was finally able to drive in his home race, which took place in his birth city of Shanghai.
Lando Norris breaks through and gets his first career win
Andrea Stella and Lando Norris of McLaren F1 after winning the Miami Grand Prix this year.
Song Haiyuan/MB Media/Getty Images
It took over 100 races, but Lando Norris got his first-ever Formula 1 win at this year's Miami Grand Prix. This victory catapulted Norris toward the top of the standings, and he would go on to challenge Verstappen throughout the season for the drivers' championship.
Charles Leclerc wins his hometown Monaco Grand Prix for the first time
The drivers Charles Leclerc and Sainz of Ferrari celebrating on the podium after the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix.
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After years of mishaps and bad luck, Charles Leclerc overcame the "Monaco curse" and took home the checkered flag for his Ferrari team. He became the first-ever Monégasque to win the Monaco Grand Prix.
Drama between friends at the Austrian Grand Prix
The Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and Norris are friends off the track.
Bryn Lennon - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
After battling for the lead throughout much of the race, Verstappen and Norris made contact with just seven laps remaining. As a result, Norris retired his car, Verstappen dropped to fifth, and George Russell slid in for the win. Off the track, Verstappen and Norris are friends, but this race would lead to questions as to whether the top two drivers on the grid could maintain their friendship.
Lewis Hamilton wins at home
The Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton celebrating his first-place finish in his home race, the British Grand Prix.
Peter Fox - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
In his final race representing Mercedes at the British Grand Prix, Hamilton put together a vintage drive in front of his home fans. He took the checkered flag at Silverstone and snapped a 945-day winless streak.
Oscar Piastri claims his maiden victory amid team drama
Piastri celebrating his win.
Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images
Piastri crossed the finish line first at the Hungarian Grand Prix, but not without intrateam drama. Both McLaren drivers ran at the front for much of the race, with Piastri initially leading. But after McLaren's pit-stop strategy inadvertently put Norris ahead, the team instructed him to yield the position back to his teammate. After 15 laps and many tense radio exchanges with his race engineer, Norris finally let Piastri pass, and the drivers finished first and second on the grid.
Max Verstappen's epic comeback win in Brazil and clinching the title in Vegas
Verstappen clinched his fourth drivers' championship at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Kym Illman/Getty Images
Starting from 17th on the grid in Brazil, Verstappen put on a clinical driving display as he overtook car after car in rainy conditions to take home the checkered flag. This would give Verstappen a sizable lead over Norris in points, with Verstappen clinching the drivers' championship one race later in Las Vegas.
The 2024 F1 season will end with Verstappen claiming his fourth drivers' championship, solidifying him among the top drivers in the history of the sport.
Three-time Olympic gold medalist dressage star Charlotte Dujardin has been banned for one year and fined for "excessively" whipping a horse.
Video went viral just days before the beginning of the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Dujardin was seen repeatedly whipping a horse around its legs.
The British athlete withdrew from the Games due to the video, and she was accused of "engaging in conduct contrary to the principles of horse welfare."
"I fully respect the verdict issued by the Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI), released today," Dujardin said, per BBC.com.
"As the federation has recognized, my actions in the video do not reflect who I am, and I can only apologize again. I understand the responsibility that comes with my position in the sport, and I will forever aim to do better."
At the time of the video surfacing, Dujardin said that it was "from four years ago . . . which shows me making an error of judgment during a coaching session."
"Understandably, the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) is investigating, and I have made the decision to withdraw from all competition — including the Paris Olympics — while this process takes place," she said in a statement then.
Dujardin won two of her three gold medals in 2012, winning the team and individual dressage events. She would go on to win gold in the individual event in 2016 in Rio as well as a silver medal in the team event.
In Toyko, Dujardin won bronze in both team and individual events.
Mercedes driver George Russell accused Verstappen of bullying and threatening behavior following an issue between the two at last weekend’s race in Qatar. Verstappen said Sunday he "lost all respect" for the British star after an incident cost Verstappen the pole position for the grand prix.
"I've known Max for 12 years, I've respected him all of this time but now I've lost respect for him because we're all fighting on track and it's never personal," Russell said Thursday, via Sky Sports.
"Now he’s made it personal and someone needs to stand up to a bully like this. And so far, people have let him get away with murder."
Russell alleged that Verstappen threatened Saturday to "purposefully crash" into him. He said Verstappen crossed the line.
"For me that is unacceptable, and he’s gone beyond the line here, and I’m not going to accept it. So somebody’s got to stand up to a guy like this before it gets out of control," he said.
Russell questioned Verstappen’s racing tactics as well.
"Whenever anything is not going his way, he lashes out with unnecessary anger and borderline violence," he said. "That is not a guy who I respect, and I wish he would be a better role model."
Verstappen came under a shroud of controversy in Qatar as he was given a one-place grid penalty for driving "unnecessarily slow" on the racing line. Russell complained that Verstappen’s move was "super dangerous" to his team on the radio.
Verstappen accused Russell of lying to draw the penalty.
"No regrets at all because I meant everything I said and it’s still the same. If I had to do it again, maybe I would have said even more," Verstappen said. "Just never expected someone to really try and actively get someone a penalty that badly and lying about why I was doing what I was doing. But clearly, it had an influence to (the stewards). It was just really not nice and actually very shocking what was going on."
Verstappen ended up winning last week. Russell won in Las Vegas the weekend prior to Qatar.
Formula 1 on Monday announced it "reached an agreement in principle" to add a General Motors-partnered team to the grid in 2026.
The 11th team on the grid will be called Cadillac F1 and be run by Andretti Global majority owners Dan Towriss and Mark Walter. The announcement came on the heels of a successful Las Vegas Grand Prix in which Max Verstappen wrapped up his fourth consecutive title.
"As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence. It’s an honor for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world’s premier racing series, and we’re committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world," GM president Mark Reuss said.
"This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM’s engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level."
The new American team’s approval came following a Department of Justice investigation into why Liberty Media, the commercial rights holder of F1, wouldn’t approve the team initially started by Michael Andretti, the son of F1 legend Mario Andretti.
Michael Andretti scaled back his role in the organization so the new team could be run by Towriss and Walter. Mario Andretti suggested to Fox News Digital over the weekend that American approval was coming around the final turn.
The team will use Ferrari engines for its first two years until GM has a Cadillac engine built for competition before the start of the 2028 season.
"We’re excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula 1," Towriss said. "Together, we’re assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world."
There is only one American team on the F1 grid, run by Gene Haas. However, Haas F1hasn’t finished better than fifth in the constructors’ standings since it came onto the track in 2016. The team is currently sixth this season.
There are also no American drivers on the grid as of now. Logan Sargeant was with Williams Racing but was replaced in the middle of the season.
Mario Andretti told Fox News Digital there doesn’t necessarily have to be another American team or driver in the mix, but it certainly wouldn't hurt.
"It doesn’t have to be, but I don’t think it would hurt to have more American involvement directly," he said. "I know Haas has a team there, but I think the important part is the driver is even more important than the team. But another American manufacturer and all that sort of thing, I think, can only add to the interest.
"Let’s face it, being an international sport as Formula 1 is, when it’s in your own country, (for example) when they’re in Italy, Ferrari is all over. And you like to see it when you’re in America, you’d love to watch Cadillac."
The Red Bull racer finished in fifth place at the Las Vegas Grand Prix and it was enough to capture his fourth consecutive Formula 1 World Championship.
He needed to finish ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris to pick up the title win and did just that. Norris was in sixth place.
It was far from the easiest weekend for Verstappen. Red Bull made a mistake adjusting his rear wing and data showed his vehicle was running slower than Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton on the straightaways. While Russell captured the pole, Verstappen was able to get enough out of the car to start in fifth. He only needed to score three more points than Norris to clinch the world championship. Norris qualified sixth.
Mercedes was clearly quicker. Russell won the race. It was his second win of the season. Hamilton finished right behind him while Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz picked up a podium spot in third place.
Verstappen tied Sebastian Vettel, Juan Manuel Fangio and Hamilton with four consecutive titles. Michael Schumacher won five straight from 2000 to 2004.
Schumacher and Hamilton each have the most world titles with seven in total. Fangio has five and Verstappen is tied with Vettel and Alain Prost with four.
Las Vegas Grand Prix racers had to battle a weekend of cold weather and the wind. Drivers were slipping and sliding all over the place through the first three practices. But picked up the pace in qualifying with the only mistake coming from Franco Colapinto, who suffered a crash in Q2.
Aside from Pierre Gasly’s disappointing night on Saturday, the race was run clean.
The F1 schedule still has two races on its docket, the Qatar Grand Prix and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with the constructors’ championship up for grabs.
Ferrari drivers Sainz and Charles Leclerc finished third and fourth, with McLaren’s Norris and Oscar Piastri finishing sixth and seventh.
McLaren entered the weekend 36 points ahead of Ferrari in the constructors’ standings. After the Las Vegas result, McLaren will be up 24 points going into Qatar (608 points to Ferrari’s 584).
"I think it was a slow burner initially," Caesars Sportsbook Senior Trader Chris Pearce told Fox News Digital. "I think recently, because there’s more and more Grands Prix in the Northern Hemisphere, and in the U.S., especially with the Austin Grand Prix as well as Vegas, it is picking up.
"And there’s definitely more interest. It’s one of those things that if you spend the time on the products, you offer more markets, you give it the showcase that it deserves, then the punters will latch onto that."
Pearce said the growth in F1 bets exploded over the last few years with the Las Vegas Grand Prix helping in 2023.
"The growth is definitely at least three times higher than when I first took the product over two years ago. And the Vegas Grand Prix has again really helped to grow the products," he said. "Last year, it was the glitz and the sparkle. You don’t really get that from the more established grand prix. Obviously, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone was key globally and was the signature grand prix of the year.
"I think, last year, everybody was looking forward to Vegas more than the British Grand Prix and followed on into this year. So, yes, it’s growing, and I expect it to grow more as well. I think that year the turnout for the Vegas Grand Prix was three times that of Daytona, which obviously is an established U.S. race. If we offer the markets, it should grow even further."
There won’t be an American on the starting grid this year after Logan Sargeant’s time with Williams Racing abruptly came to an end this season.
But with the success and popularity of Netflix’s "Drive to Survive" docu-series, superstars like Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, who have international appeal in Europe and Asia, have helped become household names in the U.S.
"It’s a little bit of both, I think," Pearce said of whether an American driver affects the betting market. "Last year, Logan Sargeant was on the grid. He was by far our biggest liability going into the race. He was a multimillion-dollar loser for us last year. So, when he was going into free practice and qualifying, there was a little bit of worry that something may fall into the race. Luckily, we dodged that bullet.
"Yes, the U.S. driver does help. And, that said, because of the recent Netflix series with F1, that’s helped to push the sport and the names within the sport. I think more people now do tend to know drivers outside of (Lewis) Hamilton, outside of, say, the past (Michael) Schumacher. They will know Lando Norris. They will know Carlos Sainz."
The Las Vegas Grand Prix will begin at 1 a.m. ET Sunday for fans on the East Coast. Those on the West Coast and in the city for the race will see the race begin at 10 p.m. PT.
Hilton Grand Vacations CEO Mark Wang’s love for Formula 1 started when he was young.
He made an impromptu trip to the 1980 Long Beach Grand Prix. Hearing the roar of the engines as the speed machines traveled by left an indelible mark on the future executive of one of the most well-known resort brands in the world.
Wang’s interest in the world-renowned sport also helped spark the offer of a lifetime — sitting trackside for the Las Vegas Grand Prix over the weekend.
It’s the second year the race is being held in the entertainment capital of the world and the second year Hilton Grand Vacations has offered the experience.
Wang recalled to Fox News Digital while sitting in the Owners Lounge high above the Strip that he knew once he saw the track layout that Hilton Grand Vacations would be in a terrific spot to capitalize on a partnership with Formula 1 and offer fans of the sport a way to get close to the action.
"This would be a really great opportunity for us to be able to provide our members and guests with an experience that probably most of them never experienced before," Wang recalled thinking at the time. "So, the teams went to work and came up with a concept around the HGV Clubhouse."
It’s more than just feeling the engines roar by or the glitz and glamor that the Las Vegas scene can provide. Wang sought to give guests and members a high-class viewing of one of the more lavish sports in the world.
"We built this amazing clubhouse. Two-story structure. It sits right on the track, and, so, you get a great viewing. We also put a lot of A/V in there so you can watch a live simulcast from three different angles. You can tell where each car is on the track.
"In any of these races, for the most part, they’re flashing by you, and you want to get a sense of where everything is. Then, some really great culinary we put in place for our guests."
Not to mention live music and driving simulators to keep fans entertained in between practice runs, qualifying and the race itself.
Wang said his love for F1 brought him to the 1982 Caesars Palace Grand Prix. The course was 2.268 miles in length and fit in a parking lot. It was a far cry from the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix, which is 3.853 miles in length, where cars whiz by down Las Vegas Boulevard.
Where Wang drew inspiration for the HGV Clubhouse was from F1 races around the world.
"I think I’ve drawn my inspiration from the hospitality and the experience that we were trying to provide for our guests," he said. "Our business always had this great spirit of hospitality — the Hilton brand and being stewards of the Hilton brand. But the spirit of experiences is something we’ve been building into our business, especially over the last four or five years."
Wang said providing an experience that was different from watching on TV was important.
He used professional hockey as an example, where seeing the game on TV doesn’t exactly translate to the energy and fast-paced play seen in arenas.
"It’s like watching car racing on TV. You don’t really necessarily get the same feel exactly," he explained. "For me, it’s talking to our members and them expressing to me how exciting this opportunity is for them to be able to experience this."
The Las Vegas Grand Prix is one of the three final races left in the season. Max Verstappen holds a lead over McLaren’s Lando Norris, and the Red Bull driver could win the championship if everything goes his way this weekend.
Wang said he’s pulling for Norris to contend for the championship but was excited how the season fared overall.
"What’s really exciting about the race, it’s like six or seven guys who can win," he said. "Everybody can put their money on Max Verstappen. He was winning everything, right? So, it’s been very competitive. It’s nice to see it that way.
"This track — they’re not used to racing in this cold weather. And it’s going to be windy and dusty. Didn’t look like as much traction as they’re used to having. It’ll be interesting."
Scott Speed has nearly done it all when it comes to auto racing.
The Red Bull driver was one of the few American drivers to compete in Formula 1. He's raced on ovals in NASCAR and won several championships in Rallycross.
Speed competed for Scuderia Toro Rosso 28 times between the 2006 and 2007 seasons. He was one of the last Americans to compete in F1 races before Alexander Rossi and Logan Sargeant.
At that time, the United States Grand Prix was a fixture on the Formula 1 schedule, and it wasn’t until 2022 when the Miami Grand Prix started and, last year, the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Since 2023, the U.S. has hosted three Formula 1 races as the sport’s popularity has skyrocketed.
"It’s out of control. It’s so, so different," Speed told Fox News Digital Friday. "Honestly, it was kind of nicer because I’m a bit of a reserved person. So, after I came back to America after my Formula 1 career was over, it was quite nice actually that no one recognized me or knew me. I could kind of just like start over from scratch. I honestly really enjoyed the anonymity.
"Now, obviously, it’s cool because there’s so many of my fellow Americans and so many of my friends and family here now that know what Formula 1 is, and they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, you did that?' And that’s pretty special to be able to share with them. As a fan of motor racing in general, I’m so glad that, whether it was the Netflix show or a lot of factors, it’s grown here and that’s really cool."
Speed didn’t have the success of Mario Andretti, but getting to drive at the pinnacle of open-wheel racing is a major win.
Competing against the likes of Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa is no easy task.
"Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motor racing, right? But there wasn’t really a path in America. So, it was kind of like an ambitious goal, and I was very fortunate to have an opportunity with the Red Bull America driver search to have that opportunity to move to Europe and to actually have a pathway from the Red Bull Junior Development program to actually get there.
"My biggest memories are just how special it was to be able to maximize those opportunities and actually get there."
Speed said one of the most difficult parts of Formula 1 was to go from winning a lot or competing in the front in the feeder series to racing hard against the best of the best. And not always finding victory lane or the podium was a "difficult thing to get used to."
"Formula 1 is super special, and the cars are unbelievably fast. I think the most special, I mean, everybody will remember the first time they pull out of a garage in a Formula 1 car. And, for me, that was Barcelona in a V-10. So, I was also lucky to have the memory of the engines and they sounded amazing. Many great memories."
Speed raced in NASCAR for several years before getting another opportunity to compete in another different kind of racing – Rallycross, which takes place on a closed mixed-surface circuit.
The Red Bull athlete won three consecutive Global Rallycross championships from 2015 to 2017 and the Americas Rallycross championship in 2018. He told Fox News Digital he wanted to give himself a challenge and race in a series outside his comfort zone.
"There’s so many options that would have been a lot easier and maybe more of a natural fit," he said. "I really wanted to challenge myself and do something different.
"It’s probably the decision I’m most happy about because it led me down a path of exploration and learning different ways to drive a vehicle. And I fell in love with that aspect of motor racing – away from being good at driving one type of car one way. I fell in love with, ‘Oh, this car, I need to, as a driver, do a lot of different things to optimize the vehicle.’ And I fell in love with that.
"With Rallycross after stock car racing, it was another evolution of that like, ‘OK, this requires something else,’ and I’ve just been always in love and fascinated with what it takes to try to maximize the physics of the vehicles. I’ve been lucky to have those opportunities to be able to go from all these different disciplines."
Speed also offered advice to young drivers looking to break into the sport.
"Don’t quit," he said. "I really believe you can have everything you want in life if you want it bad enough. It always comes down to being willing to pay the price that it costs and if you’re willing to put in the energy and time that it needs to do something. Anything’s possible.
"I think that the most important thing is you love what you do. I was very lucky to find at a very young age that I loved racing, and I was able to pursue that and turn that into a career. But I think the love of racing is the bedrock of that because the effort and energy it takes to be successful in something as difficult as motor racing requires a lot of energy. And if you don’t love what you’re doing, you’re not going to be willing to pay that price that it takes."
Mario Andretti is only one of two American drivers to win a Formula 1 World Championship and the last one to accomplish it in 1978.
In that 1978 season, Formula 1 had two Grand Prix races in the United States. The first was early in the year in Long Beach, California, and the second took place in Watkins Glen, New York.
The U.S. later dropped off the F1 calendar altogether before finally finding a home in Austin, Texas, at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
This weekend, race fans have flocked to Las Vegas for the third U.S. event of the year, and F1 has seen an immense popularity turnaround. The Las Vegas Strip transformed into an epic street race filled with glitz and glamor not seen anywhere else on the schedule.
"To me, when I hear that, ‘growth,’ it’s music to my ears," the racing legend told Fox News Digital in an interview. "Obviously, because it’s no secret how much I love Formula 1 and what it meant to me over the years and still does. To see that it captures this imagination of American race fans, I think it’s great. I mean, it started out with having a proper home in today’s world at COTA in Austin and with that investment and that facility. That assured the future.
"Then, of course, Miami coming along and now what was invested in Las Vegas. It’s just unbelievable the way the city embraced this event. I was just there, and even from last year when I saw the magnitude of construction, everything that’s going on and, of course, even the paddock — it’s there.
"It’s not something to dismantle after the events. It’s a long-term commitment. Promotion, promotion, promotion worked because the interest is at a high level, and that’s a beautiful thing to see. But the way Vegas is hosting this event is spectacular."
The big difference between last year’s race and this year’s event when it comes to the grid is the lack of an American driver.
Logan Sargeant was replaced at Williams Racing with up-and-comer Franco Colapinto following a series of struggles.
Andretti said for F1 to be popular in America, there doesn’t necessarily have to be an American driver in the field or even another American constructor, but it wouldn’t hurt.
"It doesn’t have to be, but I don’t think it would hurt to have more American involvement directly," he said. "I know Haas has a team there, but I think the important part is the driver is even more important than the team. But another American manufacturer and all that sort of thing I think can only add to the interest.
"Let’s face it, being an international sport as Formula 1 is, when it’s in your own country, (for example) when they’re in Italy, Ferrari is all over. And you like to see it when you’re in America, you’d love to watch Cadillac."
Rumors have run rampant about General Motors vying for a team in F1, which would add two more drivers to the 20-racer field.
Andretti Global has inched closer to the finish line in that respect after Michael Andretti’s role in the company being scaled back. Michael is Mario’s son.
The situation appeared to have changed when Dan Towriss took over as majority owner of Andretti Global.
So, just how close is a new American-based F1 team to joining the sport?
"Well, it’s a work in progress, and no question about it," Mario Andretti said. "I have every reason to feel very optimistic about it."
While teams decide what they will do for the next few years, McLaren could be on the verge of its first constructors' championships since 1998.
"I love that," Andretti said. "I raced with Bruce McLaren way back and what McLaren as a brand accomplished in Formula 1 is enviable. And to see them come back with Zak Brown at the head of it and aligning himself with young drivers, potential winners on both sides, fighting for a constructors' championship and bringing in (team principal) Andrea Stella to run the team and all that were brilliant moves that he made. A lot of credit from me goes to him.
"You can see it’s all about just bringing everything together. I don’t know anyone who loves the sport as much as Zak Brown himself. He’s very engaged, and it’s really great to see that success."
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen could win the drivers’ championship for the fourth consecutive season if he finishes in front of McLaren’s Lando Norris or if Norris fails to score any points as he did last year in Las Vegas.
Andretti said Verstappen is capable of getting it done.
Formula 1 drivers fight jet lag throughout the season.
Clive Rose - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
Exposure to light is key in adjusting drivers' body clocks to new time zones.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix is "the nastiest one of the season," one performance coach said.
This article is part of "Behind the Wheel," a series about the highly competitive and high-tech world of Formula 1.
In Formula 1, sleep is a precious commodity.
The global series' 24-race calendar spans 21 countries across five continents. Teams travel from China to Miami to Italy over the course of just a few weeks — making jet lag a constant problem throughout the season. It's such a concern that many teams employ doctors and coaches dedicated to helping drivers adjust quickly to different time zones.
"In the case of Formula 1 drivers, sleep is right up there as one of the main things we can control to put them in the best place possible to perform," Tom Clark, a senior performance coach with the Alpine F1 Team, said. "It's a thing we prioritize very highly. Being exposed to jet lag, we can manipulate it so we're ahead of the curve."
Even now, as the 2024 season heads into the home stretch, Clark is preparing for next year, looking up available flights for the team and mapping out calendars to see how early his drivers can make it out to a race based on other team responsibilities.
"Drivers have a great many commitments, so we can't always prioritize sleep and jet lag above all else," he said. "But we start planning right away so we have the best options available to negate jet lag and put the athletes in the best position."
Monitoring light and 'zeitgeber'
When it comes to fighting jet lag, Clark said, there's one main factor to consider: exposure to light.
"Light from the sun and light from electronic devices, and the absence of light — if we can manipulate those things in accordance to where we're trying to travel, we'll be able to shift the body clock closer to that given time zone," he said.
As an example, Clark points to Esteban Ocon, the Alpine driver with whom he works most closely. In preparation for heading to Las Vegas this week — about a nine-hour time shift from Ocon's home in Switzerland — Clark began shifting the driver's bedtime and wake-up time later and later last week.
"We also look at his timing to light exposure, which we try to replicate to the time zone he's traveling to," Clark said. "From a basic first principle, that's what we do fundamentally to thrive in the new environment."
Tom Clark works closely with the Alpine driver Esteban Ocon to optimize his performance on the track.
Alpine F1/Tom Clark
Additionally, Clark closely monitors Ocon's "zeitgeber" — a German word for external circadian time cues that contribute to the body's clock. This includes physical activity and fitness, socializing, and eating.
"All of those have an influence on moving the body clock closer" to the new time zone, Clark said, adding: "But it's light that is the most influential, so that's what we prioritize the greatest."
'Las Vegas is the nastiest one of the season'
Plane travel is another factor. When traveling west, Clark wants his drivers to take daytime flights so that they stay awake. When flying east, he encourages them to sleep on flights — particularly when the series heads to Australia, which entails about a 24-hour door-to-door travel period.
With Formula 1 heading to Las Vegas this weekend to kick off the final triple-header of the season, Clark said the battle against jet lag would be particularly important.
"Las Vegas is the nastiest one of the season," he said, adding that because the race happens so late — the Grand Prix begins about 10 p.m. local time — drivers have to modify their sleep schedules so that they essentially become nocturnal, sleeping during most of the day.
Lewis Hamilton taking his F1 car for a spin in Las Vegas.
Dan Istitene - Formula 1/Getty Images
"If you're like Esteban and you get a huge amount of sleep, he effectively will sleep the entire daylight hours of Las Vegas — which actually might be quite a normal thing for most Vegas visitors and tourists," Clark said with a laugh. "It's a bit of a weird way to live, but it's a necessity to cash in on the sleep opportunities that we have. We use other means to help with what we lose from not seeing the sun, like vitamin D supplements. We'll have to contend with that during the week."
Once the Las Vegas Grand Prix ends, the series immediately shifts to Qatar, meaning every team member once again has to rapidly adjust their body clocks.
"Effectively, you're doing a full circulation of the globe in time zones in the space of just a couple of weeks," Clark said. Last year, when Las Vegas was also part of a triple-header, many people discovered they could "continually be in a state of sleep deprivation and poor quality of sleep if you don't prioritize it," he added.
Clark began working with Alpine in 2018 in a performance role and said he viewed battling jet lag as an "elephant in the room" when it came to race prep. "We were doing everything we could from a training, nutrition, and recovery standpoint, but when it came to sleep, there wasn't much in place," he said. "That's where my appetite came from to pursue and understand jet lag more."
Most Formula 1 teams, he said, now task their performance coaches and doctors with monitoring drivers' sleep patterns and adjusting them to new time zones.
Outside Formula 1, Clark is pursuing doctoral work on jet lag — a topic that, he said, is not studied extensively in academic literature.
"Jet lag itself is a hard thing to research and understand just by the nature of it," he said. "You can study it in a lab environment, but you can't replicate getting on a plane, the large amount of time in the air, all the stresses you go through at the airport, and arriving in a widely different culture and environment."
That makes Formula 1 an ideal industry in which to conduct this research, with the sport featuring perhaps the most condensed global travel of any other sport series.
"I've been working within the Formula 1 population and yes, it's not the easiest thing to fit in around my day job," Clark said, laughing. "But it's fascinating, and I'm enjoying it very much."
The McLaren Formula 1 Racing Team entered the Las Vegas Grand Prix in first place in the Constructors' Championship standings, hoping to win their first title since 1998.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have both proven to be formidable forces on the racetrack throughout the entire season and hold a narrow lead over Ferrari and Red Bull. A 1-2 finish for the McLaren drivers will help the team get ever closer to that title.
However, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown made clear on Thursday he is taking it one step at a time. He spoke to the media as he touted the team’s partnership with Mastercard.
"I think we have a good chance," he said. "Ferrari may be the team to beat this weekend. I think we’ve got a very strong race car with two awesome racing drivers. It’s a little bit of a home race for me – not necessarily from Las Vegas, it’s my home country. So, for me, it feels a little bit more special.
"It’s a fantastic venue, of course. It’s our first race together with (the Mastercard) brand on our race car. It’s very exciting. We have a tremendous amount of support, and we’re counting down to race weekend. For me, if we can win this race or extend our Constructors' lead, it would be a successful weekend."
Norris is also driving in hopes of staying alive for a world championship. A win for Norris would keep him alive in the title fight with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen for at least one more race.
What cannot happen is a similar result as last year’s Las Vegas race. Norris retired after two laps, and Piastri worked his way up from 18th to a 10th-place finish.
Brown said he felt good about how the team came together this season and worked hard to put them in the race for a title.
"I feel good about where McLaren are at the moment. I think the men and women at McLaren have done an awesome job in every aspect of the racing team. We’ve obviously developed a very good race car," Brown said, touting every department from finance to human resources in making sure everyone has kept their eye on the ball through the season, putting in the work and the hours to make the team as successful as it has been.
"I feel great where we are. It’s high stress because we haven’t been here (in this position to win a Constructors' Championship) since 1998. Thirty-six points in the lead can evaporate in one race weekend. We got Ferrari who could easily finish first and second. Anything can happen in a street race as we saw in Brazil."
Brown said, even with the fans who have come up to him thinking it is a forgone conclusion that McLaren has won the Constructors' Championship, he wanted to make clear it ain’t over ‘til it’s over.
"I think the minute you think you’ve done it before you’re in the end zone is a big mistake to make. So, feel good about where we are, but we’ve very focused, and we’re not going to celebrate until, hopefully, we have the right to celebrate."
