Manholes, postponements and rants: story of a nightmarish day in Las Vegas

(This story is given in French time, -9 a.m. for Las Vegas)

5:30 a.m.: Start of Free Practice 1

That's it ! After 41 years of absence and weeks – nay, months – of teasing of and promotion, the Formula 1 finally rolls into Las Vegas! The first single-seaters set off on this new urban route, 6,2 kilometers long, winding around hotels, casinos and the Sphere, along the famous Strip and its thousands of colorful neon lights. Despite cool temperatures – around 13°C – the drivers quickly get out on track so as not to miss a minute on the track and to learn.

© Antonin Vincent / DPPI

5:38 a.m.: Sainz hits a manhole, red flag

Quickly in the session, the first yellow flags came out. Nothing surprising on a new route with asphalt that is still green and not gummed. The international broadcast, however, stops on the immobilized car of Carlos Sainz, at the end of the straight line of the Strip. Classic Ferrari for sale would she still have done a good trip, two weeks after the abandonment of Charles Leclerc during the training tour in Brazil? Nay!

As a precaution, the stewards waved the red flag, synonymous with the interruption of Free Practice 1. We will only know a few minutes later that in reality, the SF-23 hit a manhole which came loose from the road. The car red is heavily damaged, the chassis damaged and parts of the power unit damaged. Same observation on the chassis of theAlpine byEsteban Ocon, who had passed the same place just before the Spaniard.

© DPPI

5:51 a.m.: Free Practice 1 canceled

After several minutes of floating, the commissioners and race management finally decided, after a 12-minute interruption, not to restart the session. Indeed, if only one of the many manholes has detached from the tarmac, then all the others must be checked. The great debut of this circuit in F1 is already turning into a fiasco. Niels Wittich himself goes to the circuit to see the problem for himself. The international production obviously did not dwell on the subject but the race director therefore decided to permanently suspend the session, due to the impassability of the track.

official statement from #LasVegasGP#F1 pic.twitter.com/293QWYSxgC

— F1 Las Vegas (@F1LasVegas) November 17, 2023

7:00 a.m.: Vasseur rants

An hour later, the team directors' press conference brought together Frédéric Vasseur (Ferrari) and Toto wolff (Mercedes Benz). The first named is not in the mood. How could it have been otherwise in such a context? “Carlos told us that he had hit something on the track, without knowing what it really was at first. The situation is that the monohull is completely damaged. The battery… the motor too. It's just not acceptable." plague the Frenchman.

Usually outgoing and always the first to lighten the mood, Vasseur ended up fuming when the host of the press conference tried to get him started on the subject of the show in Las Vegas and marketing activations for Ferrari . “I’m not sure that’s the subject for me today,” he said exasperatedly. We have just had an ultra-complicated EL1 session, which will cost us a fortune. (…) The show is the show, everything is fine on that side, but it’s just unacceptable for F1 today.”

© Antonin Vincent / DPPI

8:00 a.m.: First postponement of Free Practice 2

On the circuit, trucks and workers are busy: the manhole in question must be covered as quickly as possible, and all the others must be checked and secured. That is to say forty specific points which absolutely must be filled in with cement and hastily packed tar. The deadlines before Free Practice 2 are too short: the stewards therefore decide to postpone the session, to an as yet undetermined time. It's already 23 p.m. in Nevada.

© Antonin Vincent / DPPI

8:05 a.m.: The commissioners report the damage to the Ferrari

The Ferrari SF-23 bearing the number 55 has already returned to its garage for a while, and has been dissected by the Scuderia mechanics. Time to do the math and the conclusion: the chassis needs to be changed, as well as several elements of the power unit, notably the battery. Damage estimated at several million euros, already. The list of costs is communicated to the commissioners, who report it to the FIA. We also note the change in Esteban Ocon's weakened monohull.

© DPPI

9:43 a.m.: Ferrari requests waiver for Sainz

Ferrari takes advantage of the postponement of Free Practice 2 to assemble a new SF-23 in time. However, Carlos Sainz will have to equip himself with a third battery, one more than the quota authorized for one season. Considering itself, rightly, to be the victim of this lack of preparation on this new Las Vegas track, Ferrari is requesting an exemption from the Sporting Regulations, in order to replace its battery without penalty. A request noted by the FIA, which agrees to hear the Scuderia.

9:45 a.m.: Postponement and extension of Free Practice 2

Last minute work continues on the Las Vegas route. At 0:45 a.m. local time, the track is still blocked by numerous construction trucks, which forces the race management to postpone Free Practice 2 again. A first timetable is announced: departure of the session hoped for at 2:00 a.m. local time, i.e. 11:00 a.m. French time. In return for the cancellation of FP1, the FIA ​​also plans to extend FP30 by 2 minutes, to allow the teams to have sufficient data and running time on this new circuit.

10:30 a.m.: Fans evacuated from the stands

And while the scene on the track becomes more and more ridiculous, it is in the stands that the fiasco continues. The organizers of the Las Vegas Grand Prix first announce that the areas reserved for spectators (bars, stores, etc.) will be closed at 1:30 a.m. local time, i.e. at least 30 minutes before the start of Free Practice 2, due to “logistical considerations ". Finally, even the stands were evacuated, angering some fans who had paid astronomical sums to witness this charade. Empty stands for F1: a scene never seen since the time of Covid-19!

An event update from #LasVegasGP#F1 pic.twitter.com/b9YuWYBOhS

— F1 Las Vegas (@F1LasVegas) November 17, 2023

10:49 a.m.: Ferrari's request refuted by the FIA, Sainz penalized

Almost 5 hours after the incident, the commissioners rendered their decision on the Ferrari-Sainz case. Verdict: no exception to the rule for the Spanish who, if he has to use a 3rd battery, will be penalized by 10 places on the starting grid for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

“Although the damage was caused by these extremely unusual external circumstances, Article 2.1 of the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations requires all officials, including stewards, to apply the regulations as written. Therefore, the mandatory penalty specified by Article 28.3 of the Sporting Regulations must be applied, the race direction justifies itself. The commissioners note that if they had the authority to grant a waiver, in what they consider in this case to be extenuating, unusual and unfortunate circumstances, they would have done so; however, the regulations do not allow such a measure. » A penalty confirmed at the start of Free Practice 2.

10:58 a.m.: Final postponement of Free Practice 2

A few moments before the green light for FP2, the race direction decided to postpone the start of the session by an additional 15 minutes. Many intervention vehicles are still on the track... and a quarter of an hour later, again: 15 minutes of additional delay! This time, it's official: the start of Free Practice 2 will take place at 2:30 a.m. local time, with the session scheduled to end at... 4:00 a.m.! An unprecedented schedule in the history of Formula 1.

11:30 a.m.: Start of Free Practice 2

Two hours and thirty minutes after the initial time, it's finally the launch of Free Practice 2! All the drivers did not hesitate for a second to go on track despite the incidents earlier in the evening. No notable incidents to report, apart from a few excursions into loopholes and wheel locks. Carlos Sainz, who was able to take to the track thanks to the hard work of his mechanics, was able to set the 2nd fastest time for a Ferrari double. Charles Leclerc was the fastest of the session, ahead of his teammate and Fernando Alonso. The end of a day – or rather an evening – which will not remain in the hearts of drivers and spectators.

© DPPI

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