Lewis Hamilton makes Las Vegas Grand Prix confession as exciting F1 event creeps closer

Excitement is building, despite some F1 drivers expressing concerns over the race.

Hamilton is hoping to finally come out on top this time around, having endured a problematic season so far.

And the 38-year-old has confessed he 'doesn't understand' how the Las Vegas GP will work as he prepares to take part for the first time.

"I just don't understand how we're gonna move around that place," he told Sky Sports.

"I don't even understand how we're gonna get from the track to the hotel.

"It's going to be such a compact spot with so many people, but it's gonna be a wild experience.

“The best thing is just to go with an open mind and not have any pre-determined ideas of what it's going to be like and just take it all in when you get there.

"Driving in the nightlights I'm going to feel like I'm in the Casino movie! It’s pretty cool.”

Hamilton has also praised the way F1 has grown in the United States, having previously been left surprised by a lack of interest.

“I think it's [about] continuing to engage with the outside world and, and as I was mentioned before, really creating more accessibility,” he stated.

“I think before, when I used to come out to the States, like 2007, the first time out here, and for many, many years, every time we stepped for that one race, that sometimes did and sometimes didn't happen in the years, you always find yourself just repeating yourself, educating.

“I couldn’t fully understand when I went to NFL games, NBA games, seeing how passionate the Americans are about sport, how they hadn't yet caught the bug that many of us grew up catching when we were younger.

“And so it's been really, really amazing to see that so many, the whole country, really, a large portion of the country is now speaking about it.

"People own simulators, everyone wants to be a driver! So, it's been great to see.”

Max Verstappen will, however, very much be the man to beat.

The 26-year-old has dominated this season, having won 17 times.

Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz Jr have been the only two other F1 drivers to secure a place at the top of the podium.

And Red Bull chief Christian Horner is looking forward to the race in Vegas, admitting it could be exciting for everybody involved.

"I think Vegas could promise to be quite an exciting race," he said.

"I watched the drivers on the simulator running around it the other day, and I mean, it's got a straight as long as Azerbaijan, you know, into a sharp left-hander.

"And so I think there is going to be plenty of action there."

When quizzed on whether the weather will be a factor, Horner continued: "It's going to be cooler in the evening, tyre temperature could be crucial, and that's going to move things around us as well.

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"Whilst the format and the layout of the circuit is, shall we say, is more of a simplistic one, so is Montreal, and that also produces great races.

"I think it's going to be a hell of a show for Formula 1, but the most important thing is that as a sporting spectacle, it delivers and it produces a great race.

"And the amount of interest that there is in the US, you know, is phenomenal.

"And I think that we really need to deliver to make sure that we capitalise on that interest."