F1 Cancels Las Vegas Grand Prix's 1st Practice Due to Loose Drain Cover on Track
Formula One called off its first planned Las Vegas Grand Prix practice session Thursday night due to a loose drain cover along the Las Vegas Strip.
According to ESPN's Nate Saunders, F1 and the Las Vegas Grand Prix's organizers commented on the situation in a joint statement, saying: "After inspection by Formula 1 and the FIA, a single water valve cover on the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit failed during the first practice session. The FIA, F1 and local circuit engineering teams are actively working to review and address the issue."
Per Saunders, the first practice was halted after just eight minutes when Carlos Sainz stopped his car after apparently hitting the loose drain cover. Esteban Ocon also hit the cover, resulting in his team having to change the chassis of his car.
The FIA confirmed that Sainz will take a 10-place grid penalty in the race after Ferrari had to replace a power unit element due to damage from the incident.
While the first practice began at midnight ET before being abandoned, the revised plan called for FIA representatives to check every drain cover along a 1.3-mile portion of the circuit and secure any additional loose ones with concrete before attempting to run a second practice session at 2:30 a.m. ET.
That plan came to fruition, as the second practice was completed without fans and saw Scuderia Ferrari teammates Charles Leclerc and Sainz pace the field:
The Las Vegas Grand Prix is the second-to-last race of the 2023 F1 season, and this year marks the inaugural edition of the event.
F1 invested heavily to make it a reality, as Saunders noted that Formula One spent $500 million on the race and has served as the promoter.
Max Verstappen has already clinched his third consecutive points title, but there are still plenty of other spots in the standings up for grabs over the final two races.
Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday at 3 a.m. ET, followed by the race itself Sunday at 1 a.m. ET.
