Only 10 minutes into FP1 of the Las Vegas GP, the track started to fall apart. One of the drain covers on the Las Vegas Strip was unstable and caused damage to Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari as he went over it. It seemed pretty clear that F1 and the organizers did not do a good job.
As soon as the incident occurred, the media and most of the paddock were quick to blame F1 and the FIA for the fault in the circuit. However, Toto Wolff thinks otherwise.
“That is not a black eye (for F1). This is nothing. We have a free practice we are not doing, and no one is going to talk about it tomorrow. It is completely ridiculous that you are speaking about a fucking drain cover that’s been undone.”
Toto Wolff on practice being abandoned: “That is not a black eye (for F1). This is nothing. We have a free practice we are not doing, and no one is going to talk about it tomorrow. It is completely ridiculous that you are speaking about a fucking drain cover that’s been undone.”
— Philip Duncan (@PhilDuncanF1) November 17, 2023
The FIA and F1 red flagged FP1 the drain covers were a safety concern for the drivers and teams. The repair work started right away. As they were checking the rest of the drain covers, they realized that there were a number of drain covers with similar issues. So the repair work was much more widespread than expected. F1 and FIA have since given a statement where they addressed the issue.
Even Ferrari will have a rough few hours until they get their car ready to be back on track. However, Fred Vasseur has stated that Carlos will not be able to take part in FP2 due to the extensive repair work involved. During the press conference after FP1, Fred Vasseur had no problems showing his anger towards F1. Although Toto Wolff tried to calm Vasseur down, the Ferrari team boss was visibly upset.
The whopping number of drains reportedly damaged ahead of FP2 of Las Vegas GP
According to reports, a total of 30 drains have been identified with issues similar to the one that victimized Carlos Sainz. This is a ton load of work for the engineers on track. Hopefully, after this, there will not be any other issues on the track.
The start of FP2 was also delayed because of the repair work that was happening on track. It was announced that FP2 was delayed by over 150 minutes due to the repair work. Due to the time lost during FP1, the FP2 session has been extended from 60 minutes to 90 minutes.
Auto Motor Und Sport reports that “a total of 30 drain covers in the tarmac have has possible problems. They will all need to be examined.”
— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) November 17, 2023
FP2 was actually supposed to start at 00:00 local time. However, the delay has pushed the session to 2:30 local time. Considering that time, a lot of fans have decided to leave the circuit early to get some rest. There were already reports that the ticket sales were one of the lowest of the season.
This has put the future of the Las Vegas GP in doubt. If they are not able to turn a profit from the inaugural Las Vegas GP, the organizers may choose not to hold it next year. Or even if they choose to do so, F1 may choose to host their race elsewhere where a good crowd is guaranteed. Let’s see if a crowd shows up for the race on Saturday night.