The Formula 1 championship returned to Las Vegas after 41 years. But the first training had practically no telling value. After a few laps, Sainz’s damaged car stopped, the organizers put out red flags.
The FIA said in a statement that failure of the channel’s concrete frame was to blame. F1 cars generate a lot of downforce while driving. Due to the inspection of other parts of the track, the organizers did not restart the training. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon also had problems, having to change his chassis.
Sainz also changed some components and will drop ten places at the start of Sunday’s race. “We have completely damaged the monocoque, engine and battery. Such a thing is simply unacceptable. It is very difficult for us, it will cost us a fortune. Carlos was screwed… for the whole ride and he certainly won’t show up in the second training session (in the end he did – auto note). A show is a show, it’s fine, but what happened is simply unacceptable in today’s Formula 1,” Ferrari boss Fréderic Vasseur told Sky Sports.
Nevertheless, the Spanish driver entered the second practice just like Ocon and set fast times from the start. He ended up finishing second behind Leclerc. Ocon took sixteenth place.
Already certain world champion Max Verstappen was fourth and sixth. His teammate Sergio Pérez, who can definitely secure second place in the championship in the penultimate race of the season, clocked the ninth and fourth times.
The first training started on Thursday local time, but it didn’t last very long. He finished after just eight minutes when the yellow flags appeared. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz subsequently retired his car on the longest straight. At first it looked like a technical problem, but repeated footage showed that although Sainz turned off the engine, it was preceded by a big blow from the bottom of the car.
In addition, due to the replacement of damaged parts of the power unit, Sainz will have to start the race on Saturday night (from seven in the morning in Europe) according to the rules from penalties, he will most likely drop 10 places on the grid.
“For me, it’s a very unfortunate and bad decision. Rather than claiming that it cannot be solved, it would be much fairer to at least try. For example, let the teams vote if Ferrari can change components without penalty,” said F1 expert Josef Král during the broadcast of the second practice session on Sport1. “It’s crazy. Someone had to stand up and make a tough decision. To say: The rules don’t allow it, but let’s look at it with common sense.”
Las Vegas. A city that never sleeps. Myth! 🙂
In front of empty stands and hospitality, formulas will be raced in the city from 2:30 to 4:00 a.m. at night. At least there will be something to tell the grandchildren about 😉 The biggest event of the year! #LasVegasGP pic.twitter.com/yimpbaVCWs
— Tomáš Richtr (@TomRichtrF1) November 17, 2023
Toto Wolff, head of rival Mercedes, on the other hand, played down the events. “How can you talk about a black day for F1? After all, nobody was watching it in Europe anyway. We’re talking about a c… a drain cover that has come loose, which has happened in the past. Yes, it could have been dangerous for Carlos, but let’s praise the people who prepared this Grand Prix and moved our sport forward again.”
But it is somewhat absurd that the organizers closed the fan zones at 1:30 a.m. local time for logistical reasons, while the second training session starts at 2:30 a.m., so there will be no spectators in the stands.
The FIA subsequently stated that the entire track must be inspected. The organizers then removed the critical channel covers and concreted the holes. They postponed the second practice so that the quick-drying concrete had enough time to harden.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix program will continue with the third practice, after which qualifying will take place at midnight on Saturday local time (9:00 CET). The race will start at 22:00 on the same day (Sunday 7:00 CET). For the first time since the 1985 South African Grand Prix, an F1 race will not be held on a Sunday.
Practice for the Las Vegas Grand Prix F1 World Car Championship: First practice: 1. Leclerc (Mon./Ferrari) 1:40.9092. Hülkenberg (German/Haas) -2.5373. Magnussen (Danish/Haas) -3.3524. Verstappen (Netherlands/Red Bull) -3.4885. Ocon (Fr./Alpine) -4.4566. Russell (Brit./Mercedes) -4.588 Second practice: 1. Leclerc 1:35.2652. Sainz (Spain/Ferrari) -0.5173. Alonso (Spain/Aston Martin) -0.5284. Perez (Mex./Red Bull) -0.8205. Bottas (Fin./Alfa Romeo) -0.8646. Verstappen -0.918.
2023-11-17 15:16:30
#minutes #practice #Vegas #Leclerc #won #Sport.cz
