Checo hopes to strike it lucky in Vegas to secure second from Hamilton

Sergio Perez hopes to wrap up second place in the F1 championship, and Red Bull Racing’s first 1-2 in the standings, this weekend in Las Vegas.

The sport’s first jaunt to Sin City since 1984 will be a step into the unknown, with a new track laid out down the Strip and temperatures set to drop below 5 degrees. It is also the first time a race will be held on a Saturday since the South African Grand Prix of 1985.

Sitting second in the championship behind team-mate Max Verstappen, Perez, who has two wins this year, leads Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton by 32 points, with a possible 52 on offer from the remaining two races.

“Vegas is going to be a crazy race,” said Perez. “You can already see the whole city has been taken over by Formula One and it’s going be very unique racing around the streets of Vegas.

“I already had a taste of it when the team ran the RB7 here last year to launch the race and it was strange having been here as a tourist to be driving down the Strip in an F1 car.

“Vegas will also present some challenges to us, the track will be cold and the car will run a lot differently than usual due to the temperatures.

“It’s something we all need to overcome though and we have been working hard as a team behind the scenes on the set up and prep required to make this weekend a successful one. For me I want to secure second in the Championship - it would be a fun place to do it.”

Verstappen will also be looking to extend his record, having already won 17 races this season, including both races in USA so far in Miami and at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

The world champion added: “This race is of course a massive unknown for everyone, we don't know what to expect but we'll approach it like we do any other. We of course don't have the historical data to look at and compare so there will be a lot to learn.

“I'm looking forward to racing down the strip too, that will look really cool.”