2023-11-17 07:42:00
The long-awaited start in Las Vegas has turned into an embarrassing failure for Formula 1. The first free practice session on Thursday evening local time had to be stopped following just eight minutes and was not resumed due to a manhole cover that ripped out of the ground directly in front of the Bellagio Hotel.
The start of the second training session, which was actually scheduled for 9 a.m. German time, was delayed indefinitely due to precise checks at similar points on the street circuit.
Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari was apparently badly hit on the underbody when it drove over a manhole cover. The car then rolled to a stop. Alpine also reported damage to Esteban Ocon’s chassis.
This incident was “unacceptable for Formula 1,” said Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur. Visibly angry, he initially had no desire to answer questions regarding the advantages of the new race in Las Vegas at the official press conference of the world association FIA: “We had a tough first training session, Carlos will miss the second one.”
The engine, battery and monocoque were partially seriously damaged.
Formula 1: FIA presents initial findings
The FIA quickly presented initial findings: The concrete frame around a manhole cover had failed, “we now have to check all other manhole covers.” The schedule for the rest of the race weekend may have to be adjusted.
Some drivers had just completed the first laps on the new circuit when Sainz came to a stop on Las Vegas Boulevard. Slow-motion footage later showed a clear vibration on the Spaniard’s car as he drove over the manhole cover at 320 km/h. However, the world director of Formula 1 did not show these scenes.
The Grand Prix, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday morning German time (7 a.m./Sky), is a major prestige project for the racing series. The route runs under floodlights past the city’s most important landmarks; the event has a unique significance for the marketing of Formula 1 in the USA and around the world. The race had been advertised accordingly in the past weeks and months.
Toto Wolff poisons: “How dare you?”
Mercedes Motorsport Director Toto Wolff, seated right next to Vasseur in the press conference, reacted angrily to a critical question regarding the consequences for the image of this race.
“It’s not a black eye, it’s nothing,” he shouted and addressed the questioner directly: “How dare you talk like that regarding an event that will make the whole sport bigger. It’s Thursday evening in Vegas, In Europe people don’t even watch at that time, tomorrow no one will talk regarding it anymore.”
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