Unacceptable for F1: Track Issues, Delays Mar F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix Practice

• The first practice sessions at Las Vegas was a lesson in humility for Formula 1—which is the promoter of a Grand Prix for the first time.

• The second practice session, due to begin at midnight local time, was delayed, as officials continued to work on the near 30 drain covers along the Strip.

• Eventually a start time of 2 a.m. local time was given before there was then a further 15-minute delay.

The first day of track activity at the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix proved to be quite the embarrassment for the FIA and Formula 1 after a loose drain cover caused significant delays and amended sessions.

It was a lesson in humility for Formula 1—which is the promoter of a Grand Prix for the first time—after relentlessly and arrogantly hyping its event as one of the biggest sporting spectacles of the year.

The evening began amid high anticipation and when Formula 1 cars ventured out onto the newly homologated track at 8:30 p.m. local time it was a truly impressive sight. The machines hurtled along the Strip, beneath the neon lights of one of the world’s most famous avenues, past the high-end hotels, and adjacent to the world-famous spurting Bellagio fountains.

For eight minutes anyway.

At 8:38 p.m. PT—just eight minutes into the session—there was a red flag when Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari SF-23 stopped just over halfway along the Strip. It transpired that there was a loose drain cover along the Strip, which was struck heavily by Sainz, while Alpine’s Esteban Ocon also hit one.

Sainz’s Ferrari stopped along the Strip, having sustained substantial damage to the floor, while Ocon returned to the pit lane where Alpine swiftly deemed that a change of chassis was required. Ferrari also had to undertake a chassis change for Sainz.

The FIA confirmed that “following inspection, it was the concrete frame around a manhole cover that has failed.” All of the other drain covers along the Strip then had to be checked and as a result the opening practice session was not resumed.

It is not the first time that loose drain covers have caused problems at Formula 1 events.

George Russell struck a loose drain cover in Azerbaijan, in 2019, prompting a session to be cancelled, while the situation has also arisen at both street-based events and permanent road courses, including Monaco, Shanghai and Sepang. But it was embarrassing for Formula 1 for such a setback at its glitzy high-profile event in which it has heavily invested.

The second practice session, due to begin at midnight local time, was delayed, as officials continued to work on the near 30 drain covers along the Strip.

Eventually a start time of 2 a.m. local time was given before there was then a further 15-minute delay. Shortly before 1:30 a.m. local time, however, an announcement was made informing spectators that due to “logistical considerations” for both fans and staff all grandstands and fan areas would be closing imminently, owing to labor laws.

It meant fans who had waited in the grandstands in chilly conditions for more than four hours were evicted prior to the second practice session, and saw only eight minutes of track action all day.

That eviction extended to Formula 1’s high-end Paddock Club, where tickets are sold for five figures, creating a rancorous mood. The aura among paddock personnel at the delay was little better.

Another 15-minute delay was issued before track activity finally began at the completely bonkers time of 2:30 a.m. local time, two-and-a-half hours late, with the session extended from 60 to 90 minutes to compensate for the lost time.

Fortunately the session passed without major incident, bar some drivers locking up and running wide, and finished at 4 a.m. local time, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc setting the pace.

The damage to Sainz’s car was such that he is set to take at least a 10-place grid penalty in Sunday’s race due to fresh power unit components.

Ferrari attempted to lobby for a derogation of the regulations, claiming force majeure, but this was rejected by stewards, who were sympathetic to the cause but emphasized that the regulations must be applied.

“We damaged completely the monocoque, the engine, the battery,” said furious Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur during a pre-arranged appearance in the FIA Press Conference.

“I think it’s just unacceptable for the F1 today.”

The moderator attempted to bring the topic onto Las Vegas as an event but Vasseur was irritated by the question and doubled down on his “just unacceptable” comment. Vasseur also indicated that Ferrari would seek compensation for the costs it will incur.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff also bizarrely embarked on a tete-a-tete during the same press conference with a journalist who interrupted an answer and suggested it was a bad situation for Formula 1.

“How can you even dare trying to talk bad about an event that sets the new standards, new standards to everything,” said Wolff. “And then you're speaking about a drain cover that's been undone, that has happened before. That's nothing. It's FP1. Give credit to the people that have set up this Grand Prix, that have made the sport much bigger than it ever was.”

Very few who witnessed the mess—combined with lackluster communication—through the evening and early hours thought Las Vegas had set any form of standards, other than depressingly low ones. Other race promoters must have looked at the situation with a wry smile.

Formula 1 must ensure that Friday evening’s action runs significantly smoother to ensure this shambles is quickly forgotten.