The second practice session at the Las Vegas GP faced substantial delays due to the track repairs right after Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz hit a manhole lid in FP1 which caused significant damage to his car. The fans and spectators got to witness only eight minutes of high-speed racing until it came to a standstill.
The repairs took a while and resulted in a lengthy halt of approximately two and a half hours pushing FP2’s starting time to 02:30 A.M. in local time and concluding at 04:00 A.M. It was a difficult choice to ask the fans to leave the grandstands and exit the track since their levels of frustration had already reached an extreme.
Some fans traveled from various cities across the United States and paid hefty amounts for the tickets who were upset after the disappointing practice session. Pictures on social media showed security directing fans to leave areas that were open to the public along with those that were more private.
“We came from Los Angeles. We flew only for today. We spent the money for the aeroplane, the tickets for this place, and nothing.” 🙄#LasVegasGP pic.twitter.com/oqspzLBGg9
— Sir Lewis Updates (@LH44updates) November 17, 2023
Sky Sports interviewed frustrated fans after the race and one of them said, “We waited for four hours and they gave us hope by saying at 2 am. we’re going to race’. But nothing happened. And now they are telling us to leave. So what a night!” Another fan added that they had come all the way from Los Angeles just to watch the practice session and were left disappointed.
Local police showed fans the way out before FP2 at Las Vegas GP
The race at Sin City reached a new extreme as local police got involved. As fans started getting restless after the prolonged delay, the cops had to eject fans from the grandstands. At first, Frederic Vasseur, the team principal of Ferrari, had doubts over Sainz’s comeback for FP2. Nevertheless, the unplanned interruption worked out for Sainz and Esteban Ocon, who had also damaged his car, as they had the chance to get back in the race.
I think it’s so funny that literally zero people think the Las Vegas Grand Prix is a good idea or enjoyable. Saw videos back to back of a local complaining, a driver complaining, an f1 fan complaining and then one of the track destroying a car.
Good use of a half a Billion $ pic.twitter.com/BfEEwsa5Y2
— Noah Riffe (@NoahRiffe) November 17, 2023
Upon the revival of track activity, viewers could not watch it from the grandstands since workers had already left the track. The promoter of the Las Vegas Grand Prix announced on social media, claiming, “Due to logistical considerations for our fans and our staff, we have made the determination that we will be closing all Las Vegas Grand Prix fan areas at 1:30 AM PT. We look forward to welcoming fans back later today for exciting FP3 and qualifying sessions.”
In the absence of stewards, local officials pulled fans from their seats, which cost more than $800 for the weekend, out of concern for their safety. FP2 went off without a hitch despite the disruptions, with teammate Sainz and leader Charles Leclerc leading the lap times.