One of the three U.S. stops on Formula 1’s racing circuit, the Las Vegas Grand Prix, is moving to a more fan-friendly start time better suited for the American audience. Previously starting at 1 a.m. ET (10 p.m. local) since its inception in 2023, the race will now begin two hours earlier at 11 p.m. ET (8 p.m. local). This change aligns the Vegas race with other nighttime Grands Prix globally, which commence at 8 p.m. local time.
This updated start time may require ESPN, which broadcasts Formula 1 races in the United States, to adjust its college football schedule. Last year, Auburn’s dramatic four-overtime victory over Texas A&M, which kicked off at 7:30 p.m. ET, effectively served as a lead-in for the Las Vegas Grand Prix due to its late conclusion. However, with the new earlier start, ESPN will likely need to find a way to start its primetime college football game earlier to accommodate this change.
The earlier start should draw a larger television audience in the U.S., as the Las Vegas Grand Prix averaged just 905,000 viewers on ESPN last year, which was a 30% decrease compared to its debut the previous year that had 1.31 million viewers. Given that the race aired in the middle of the night for much of the country, those figures were solid. Nevertheless, a significant increase in viewership is expected this year with the new 11 p.m. ET start time.
