F1’s return to Vegas will take place on an all-new course that incorporates the city’s famous Strip boulevard – with the public roads being used having been resurfaced ahead of the event.
Fresh asphalt laid at new races in recent years has tended to be very slippery for the cars, even with Pirelli bringing its softest tyres, as is the case for the Vegas weekend.
When asked by Autosport to outline any particular areas of the 3.86-mile track where drivers could gain or lose time on what is a straight-heavy layout, Alonso instead highlighted the track evolution aspect as the area that could catch some competitors out.
He feels this could especially be the case due to the weekend lacking support races that would normally lay down additional rubber and therefore increase grip levels for the F1 machines.
“A street circuit, very low downforce – just getting that confidence into the car [will be important],” said Alonso. “The braking areas, I think that will be very important.
“With the conditions of the track and not having any support races, I think the amount of track evolution during the weekend is going to be bigger than normal.
“So, that will challenge everyone. I guess we will not have two laps the same over the weekend.
“Every lap of the track will be a little bit better than the lap before – from FP1 to the last lap of the race.
“We will have to adapt to that changeable grip. It’s going to be a challenge for everyone.”
Source: Autosport