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Pirelli have opted to bring the softest tyres in the range to tackle the streets of Sin City this weekend.

Drivers will be given two sets of the C3 (white) hard tyre, three sets of the mediums (yellow) and eight sets of the soft (red) tyre. The green intermediates and blue full wets have also made the journey to the United States.

Like every street circuit on the calendar, and with the added stress of the chilly conditions, getting the compounds in the right temperature window without overworking them will be the key to success. With increased graining a concern, a two-stop strategy was the most popular at last year's inaugural event.

If you cast your minds back to last year, first practice descended into chaos as the session was hit by problems with the new street track.

Nine minutes is all it took to call off the show when Carlos Sainz's Ferrari hit a loose manhole cover, badly damaging his car - and causing a lot of discomfort for the Spaniard.

This year, most drivers have headed early out to get a feel for the Vegas circuit this time around and the slippery surface has already been highlighted by RB's Liam Lawson. "Feels like I'm driving in the wet," says the New Zealander.

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Long delays because of torrential rain and slippery track conditions have (we hope) been left in Interlagos for this weekend's event.

Now, I think I have been suffering with a little bit of end-of-season fatigue, as I had convinced myself it was going to be roasty toasty in Las Vegas in November. It was only when I saw most drivers wrapped up and wearing wooly hats did I realise I had been looking at the daytime temperatures. D'oh.

So while it's not quite cold as it is here in the UK, the minimum temperatures for the night action will be around nine to 10 degrees. The risk of rain of zero, though.

Alice Powell
British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

What a party Max may decide to have if he wins the title in Vegas. I think he is a worthy winner of the title this season. He gets his elbows out and he's controversial sometimes but ultimately he's the fastest driver and he's not always had the best car this season.

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Max Verstappen has one hand on the trophy heading into the Vegas weekend, and there are a lot of permutations for how he can win the title this weekend.

The Dutchman must lead Lando Norris by 60 points in the championship at the end of the Las Vegas Grand Prix to claim his fourth consecutive drivers' title. Finish ahead of Norris and this contest is over. Simple.

Norris, meanwhile, has to hope everything goes his way if he is to have any chance of securing a maiden F1 championship.

The McLaren driver needs to outscore Verstappen by at least three points in Vegas for the title fight to roll on to Qatar next weekend.

Fastest lap also comes into play this weekend. Verstappen will be champion if he finishes third and takes the extra point for fastest lap and Norris is second. Same goes if the Dutchman is fourth and fastest lap and Briton Norris ends his race on the podium in third.

The entertainment capital of the world is buzzing for some first practice running.

Gold star for all of you who are with us this morning!

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BBC Sounds

Good morning/good evening to Harry Benjamin, British racing driver Alice Powell and BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson.

The team are ready and in position to take us through first practice, so click the 'listen live' tab at the top of the page to tune in, or you can ask BBC Sounds to play Las Vegas Grand Prix practice one via most smart speakers.

In the constructors' championship, the contest is still alive as we reach the home straight of the 2024 campaign.

McLaren hold a 36-point advantage over second-placed Ferrari at the top of the standings, with Red Bull sitting in third, 49 points off the leaders.

Alpine's incredible Sunday in Brazil with Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly both on the podium has lifted the French team from ninth up to sixth, three points ahead of Haas and five clear of RB.

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Will Max Verstappen be wearing the drivers' crown in Sin City come Sunday? The Vegas odds are looking very healthy for the three-time world champion thanks to his 62-point lead over Lando Norris.

Charles Leclerc in third is 24 points behind Norris in the battle for second place, while Mercedes team-mates George Russell and Lewis Hamilton are only separated by two points in the fight for sixth.

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Hello, folks. The final triple-header of the 2024 season is here and it begins (very early) with the second running of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

We left off in Sao Paulo three weeks ago with Max Verstappen taking his first win in 10 races - and what a victory it was. The Dutchman came 17th on the grid to triumph during a chaotic weekend of soggy track action.

First practice gets under way at 02:30 GMT.

Second practice goes green at 06:00 GMT.

Commentary on both sessions will be on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and at the top of this page using the 'listen live' tab. You can also tune in via most smart speakers by asking BBC Sounds to play Las Vegas Grand Prix, followed by the current session.

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Time is ticking away in the fight to become the 2024 drivers' world champion.

With only three races and one sprint event to go, Max Verstappen holds all the aces thanks to a 62-point advantage over nearest rival Lando Norris.

With 86 points still left on the table, will Norris and McLaren go for broke in Sin City in order to claim the biggest prize of all?

Viva Las Vegas. Formula 1 is back on the Strip.