Las Vegas is under a flood watch through at least Wednesday due to expected heavy rainfall, even though the projected precipitation remains below the city’s November average.

Conditions are forecast to improve as the weekend approaches, and the race is expected to take place in the dry, but rain may still affect the early sessions of the event.

The teams and drivers will face the tough challenge of bringing the tyres up to temperature, a crucial factor to perform in Nevada.

F1 rules state that any driver who begins the season with more than two Grands Prix of experience must give up their seat to a rookie in two Practice sessions.

Oscar Piastri has completed only one of these required handovers. McLaren has already confirmed that Piastri will drive in FP1 at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, and the Qatar Grand Prix is a sprint weekend with only one Practice session available. As a result, the remaining opportunity to run a rookie is the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The timing places Piastri at a disadvantage in his fight with teammate Lando Norris, whom he trails by 24 points in the standings. While Piastri sits out, the likely rookie replacement, Pato O’Ward, will take the mileage, and Norris will continue working on his MCL39 setup.

Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog's F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog's YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.