THE PITS

F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix Gets Off the Line With Shambolic Start

Fans booed from the grandstands as the opening practice session was stopped after just eight minutes.

The Las Vegas Grand Prix got off to a disastrous start Thursday night when the first practice session was stopped after just eight minutes. Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari was severely damaged when a drainage cover hit the bottom of his car—an incident that was severely criticized by team principal Fred Vasseur. “It cost us a fortune,” Vasseur said. “I think it’s just unacceptable for F1 today.” The incident caused the session to be halted out of safety fears, with an FIA spokesperson saying that “all of the other manhole covers” on the circuit would need to be checked. Fans reportedly booed from the grandstands when the opening session was stopped, and all spectators were kicked out of viewing areas “due to logistical considerations” before the 90-minute second session, which didn’t begin until 2:30 a.m., when track repairs were completed.