The second practice session of the Las Vegas Grand Prix finally got underway at 2:30 a.m. Friday after a loose drain cover caused chaos in the first practice session – but many fans weren’t there to see it.
In a nightmarish start to Formula One’s most glorious weekend, the first practice session was abandoned after just eight minutes when the race director raised a red flag after Ocon’s Alpine and Sainz’s Ferrari sustained significant damage as he drove over the damaged part of the track drove.
And as the second session began, images emerged of the drain cover being filled in by workers – with visible residue at the top of the shaft, showing how quickly it had been repaired to get the practice back up and running.
The second practice was scheduled to start at midnight (8:00 a.m. GMT) but was then pushed back to 2:00 a.m. (10:00 a.m. GMT) and then pushed back again to 2:30 a.m. (10:30 a.m. GMT).
Due to the late start time, Formula 1 officials are trying to reopen the roads to the public. Public roads are due to reopen at 4am (12pm GMT) on Friday, causing a headache for organizers as the session will last around 90 minutes.
Many fans had left amid the chaos and confusion that followed the nightmarish start as workers struggled to fix the loose manhole cover – videos on social media showed rows of empty seats in the stands.
The second practice session of the Las Vegas Grand Prix began at 2:30 a.m. on Friday
The session was postponed after a loose drain hole caused chaos on the track
Pictures showed the drain covers being filled to get the session back on track
Organizers face the challenge of reopening the streets to the public at 4am this morning
Some fans paid $185,000 (£150,000) for the privilege of attending the event in Sin City – and the setback left F1 bosses’ faces bright red as fans booed from the stands as the cancellation was announced.
This was not the planned start to what was supposed to be a glamorous affair for the sport.
There had already been a glittering opening ceremony at which Kylie Minogue, John Legend, Keith Urban and DJ Steve Aoki also performed.
And stars including Lewis Hamilton had welcomed the stylish nature of the event on the red carpet in midweek when he arrived in an all-black outfit, including a trench coat and sunglasses.
This was set to be Formula 1’s most glamorous event after Kylie Minogue (left) led the opening ceremony and Lewis Hamilton (right) did his best to embrace the style
Formula 1 bosses will be cursing their luck after the glitz and glamor quickly disappeared in the chaos of the loose drain cover.
Race officials had released a statement saying an inspection by Formula 1 and the FIA had revealed that “a single water valve cover… failed” in the first practice session.
The FIA later said Sainz had hit the concrete frame around a manhole cover and that the governing body must now inspect every manhole cover on the track.
“We will discuss with the local track engineering team how long it will take to resolve the disruption and will update the schedule according to the resulting changes,” the FIA said.
The stands were almost empty after fans who had paid £200 a ticket were sent home
Track marshals and officials look after the area of the track where the first training session ended early
Fred Vasseur was visibly upset and asked to leave his press conference early after the incident.
The Ferrari team boss said: “We had a very tough FP1 which will cost us a fortune.” We screwed up the session for Carlos.
“We certainly won’t take part in FP2 because we’re changing the chassis of the car.” “Okay, the show is the show and everything is going well, but I think it’s just unacceptable for Formula 1 today.”
However, his counterpart, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, responded sharply to the critics of the Las Vegas Grand Prix after the incident.
“That’s not a black eye,” said Wolff. ‘It’s nothing!’
He then added: “It’s completely ridiculous!” Completely ridiculous, FP1, how dare you even speak ill of an event that sets new standards in everything? And then you’re talking about a broken drain cover that was opened. This has happened before! It’s nothing, it’s FP1!’
Carlos Sainz saw his Ferrari damaged when it hit the manhole cover in first practice
The Alpine crew checks Esteban Ocon’s car for possible damage caused by the cover
The scenes were a nightmare for race organizers at the start of a massive weekend for Formula One
LAS VEGAS GP WEEKEND SCHEDULE
November 17th: Training 2 (8am GMT/12pm PST)
November 18: Practice 3 (4:30am GMT/8:30pm PST)
November 18: Qualifying (8am GMT/12pm PST)
November 19th: Race (6am GMT/10pm PST)
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner discussed the situation with his Ferrari colleague Vasseur on the pit wall. After Sainz drove into the drain at 200mph on Sin City’s famous strip, Scuderia confirmed that there had been significant damage to the Spaniard’s machine.
Only five rounds were completed in front of an audience.
A few hours earlier, the streets of Las Vegas Boulevard were open to regular traffic.
There are question marks on the door of the FIA, the umbrella organization that deregisters the route. Race director Niels Wittich is responsible.
A few weeks ago a senior FIA official told Mail Sport that they believed everything was fine “between the barriers” – their code for the circuit boundaries and not everything around it or advertising.
Horner said: “It’s a shame we’re not allowed on the track. “They need to check all the manhole covers and weld them or do something because you can see the damage it’s done. We’re fine. So far we have not suffered any damage.
“You have to be flexible. It’s a shame for the fans, but safety comes first. “We have to get this done and hope it doesn’t take too long.”