Formula 1 Return to Las Vegas: Manhole Incident and Ferrari Outrage

Incredible and “unacceptable” what happened in the first moments of Formula 1 in Las Vegas where the Circus returned after 40 years. On the big day of starting the engines under the lights of the gambling capital, the first free practice lasted only nine minutes due to a raised manhole which damaged some single-seaters, in particular Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari, and which could also create much more serious consequences. And impressive images from the street circuit immediately bounce on social media, showing the passage of the Spaniard’s red car which, due to the impact with the manhole, is surrounded by a cloud of sparks and seems to be on fire. And in addition to the damage (over a million dollars), there is also an insult to the Ferrari driver, given that the forced replacement of all the components costs him a penalty of ten places on the starting grid. But when the second free practices took place (late at night and with the duration increased to an hour and a half) the two Ferrari drivers gave their best, placing a virtual one-two with Charles Leclerc ahead of Sainz: the Spaniard managed to return on the track but the fastest was the Monegasque, with a time of 1:35.265. Slower by almost half a second was Sainz, who will also have to suffer a ten position penalty on the grid due to the forced change of the power unit. But the story of the manhole continued to hold sway anyway: the FIA ​​did not want to provide any exemption for the replacement of the battery without penalty: even if the damage was caused by an external object, the regulation must still be applied. The unscheduled event, which is not new to Formula 1 (there have been many precedents in the past from Monte-Carlo to Baku), spoiled the party, also damaging Ocon’s Alpine and Zohu’s Alfa.

Ferrari’s reaction was harsh, according to the team principal, Frederic Vasseur: “We completely damaged the monocoque, the engine, the battery. It’s unacceptable. We were scared for Carlos, the impact was hard. It’s a difficult start to the weekend, we had high expectations. We didn’t understand what had happened, not even looking at the on board. It was enormous damage, and luckily Carlos didn’t do anything to himself. We have to distinguish the sporting aspect from the show – underlined Vasseur – So far everything has been really fantastic, but this shouldn’t distract attention from the sporting aspect. Now I’m still in shock and very angry, it’s difficult for me to talk. Maybe it would be better on these new tracks to have other categories too to try the circuit together.” In short, it is a complicated return for the Circus to Las Vegas, to say the least, and Max Verstappen seems to be right in that he would have gladly done without this stage, the third in the United States of the season. Controversy from which the Mercedes boss, Toto Wolff, distanced himself: “This is not a bad impression for F1. It’s nothing, there were simply some free practices that we won’t do. Nobody will talk about it tomorrow. It’s completely ridiculous we’re talking about a damn manhole that came loose.” The return to Las Vegas, however, was an opportunity to get married for the former world champion Jacques Villeneuve, son of the unforgettable Ferrari driver Gilles, who married Giulia Marra in the chapel set up in the paddock area of ​​the Stars and Stripes GP . It was the first ceremony in the structure around the circuit. Marra, who organized the surprise ceremony for her Jacques, has been linked to the Canadian champion for 4 years.

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2023-11-17 14:55:00
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