Las Vegas Grand Prix: Second practice start time confirmed after drain cover causes chaos

The Las Vegas Grand Prix got off to an embarrassing start after a loose manhole cover resulted in practice being halted.

A work crew pours concrete into a drain hole on the track during the first practice session for the Las Vegas Formula One Grand Prix on November 16, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The first practice at the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix was cancelled after ten minutes due to a loose drain cover on the track.

After driving for just nine minutes Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz hit a drain cover which had come loose damaging the chassis, engine and battery on his car. Esteban Ocon’s Alpine was also damaged before the red flags came out and the session was cut short.

Race officials have reported that a concrete frame around a manhole cover had failed and that each drain cover around the track will need to be checked, resulting in delays to the practice schedule.

A spokesperson for the FIA said: "We will be discussing with the local circuit engineering team about the length of time it will take to resolve and will update with any resultant changes to the schedule."

Las Vegas Grand Prix: When will FP2 start?

The second Las Vegas practice session is expected to commence at 2am local time, or 10am British time, and will last 90 minutes.

Formula 1 have spent $500 million on the Las Vegas Grand Prix and are expecting the location to become a long-term fixture on the F1 schedule.

How was Sainz’s car damaged by the drain cover?

In a report to race stewards it was confirmed that the survival cell, internal combustion engine, energy store and electronics of Sainz’s Ferrari were damaged. Meanwhile, the survival cell of Ocon’s Alpine was also damaged.

Has this happened before?

A similar incident took place in Azerbaijan in 2019 when George Russell’s Williams car sustained damage after driving over a drain cover in Baku.