The Free Practice 2 session rescheduled to 11am and extended
The second testing session before the Las Vegas Grand Prix will not take place as planned due to ongoing repairs on the circuit.
Update at 11am:
The FIA announced that the circuit was not yet ready to be used. The start is still postponed until at least 11:30 am.
While Free Practice 1 session was shortened due to damages on certain cars caused by sewer grates, notably on Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari. The start of Free Practice 2 for the Las Vegas F1 Grand Prix is thus delayed following these incidents that led to the retirement of some cars during the first Free Practice session.
Carlos Sainz was speeding down the incredibly long straight line when his car leaped into the air and landed with sparks flying behind him. He had hit a manhole cover that broke, causing catastrophic damage underneath the car.
Work is underway to fix the issue with these sewer covers. At the moment, the FIA has not given a specific time for the resumption of the session.
Team Leaders react to incidents
After the premature end of Free Practice 1, Fred Vasseur went to the media to speak about what happened with Carlos Sainz and his car. The situation is that we completely damaged the monocoque, the engine, the battery. I think it is simply unacceptable.
« We will certainly not be part of the EL2 because we are changing the car chassis. Okay, the show is the show and everything is going well, but I think it’s simply unacceptable for F1 today. » A very upset Frederic Vasseur after the incident, even gets Toto Wolff involved who asks him not to say things that could harm him.
The team principal of Mercedes then responded to the media, regarding the criticisms of the organization of the event. « It’s Thursday night, we have a practice session that we’re not doing, they will seal the manhole covers, and nobody will talk about it tomorrow morning ».
« It’s completely ridiculous! Completely ridiculous, FP1, how dare you even try to speak ill of an event that sets new standards in everything? And then you talk about a damn drain cover that was undone. That has happened before! It’s nothing, it’s just FP1! ».
