Ferrari F1 talks with Las Vegas GP officials about compensation for Sainz[F1-Gate.com]

Frédéric Vasseur, Scuderia Ferrari’s F1 team principal, said he plans to have “private discussions” with Las Vegas Grand Prix officials following the damage sustained by Carlos Sainz in practice 1. The practice session at the Las Vegas Strip circuit lasted nine minutes. The concrete frame of the strip was damaged by the force of the running vehicle, and Sainz came into contact with the water valve cover that had come off, resulting in a red flag.

In the end, FP2 was held two and a half hours late and without spectators, making for an embarrassing start to the weekend. The damage to Sainz’s SF-23 was severe, with the monocoque, internal combustion engine, control electronics, and energy stores all damaged. Vasseur called it “unacceptable” at a subsequent press conference. Sainz finished 6th from 12th on the grid after being handed a 10-place grid penalty for the new energy store after the stewards failed to waive the sanction for bringing in new engine components in excess of the permitted quota. Tracks have previously had to pay teams if they were the primary cause of damage. In 2017, the Malaysian Grand Prix circuit required Romain Grosjean to pay compensation after hitting a drainage ditch. Asked whether Ferrari would receive compensation for the incident, Vasseur told the media: “I will discuss this matter privately with all parties involved.” “I’m a bit more upset about the way they managed it than the incident itself. “There was also an accident at the Monaco circuit a couple of years ago, I think it was on the curb at Turn 1. It happened in Malaysia, and it happened twice in Baku with (Valtteri) Bottas (2016) and (George) Russell (2019).”This is difficult to predict and correct, but how do you manage accidents? What matters is whether you do it.”