F1 2023 Las Vegas GP first practice cancelled due to loose drain cover: Sainz’s Ferrari damaged
Less than 10 minutes into FP1, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz stopped out on track at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit.Onboard footage showed a message reading ‘Stop the car’ had appeared on the Spaniard’s dashboard. While the marshals worked to remove the Ferrari off the track, it was announced that the session would not be resumed, with the FIA confirming that they were looking at an issue with a drain cover on the track.
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Issues were later identified with multiple drains around the Las Vegas circuit. It is yet unknown if the FP1 will be resumed or if Free Practice 2 will be delayed as well. It was reported that Sainz’s Ferrari took substantial floor damage, leaving team principal Fred Vasseur fuming. Vasseur labelled the incident “unacceptable” in the team principals’ press conference afterwards. Reports also suggest that Zhou Guanyu’s Alfa Romeo took some damage because of a loose drain cover, but an official confirmation from the team is still awaited.
Earlier this week, reigning world champion Max Verstappen labelled this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix as “99 percent show and one percent sporting event”. The inaugural race at the circuit saw a massive star-studded opening ceremony on Thursday featuring top musicians like J Balvin, Keith Urban, Steve Aoki, Thirty Seconds to Mars, will.i.am, Tiesto, Kylie Minogue, John Legend and more!
