Matt Weaver
What happens to the Formula 1 community in Las Vegas this weekend will surely stay in Las Vegas after a disastrous start to the hyped Grand Prix event on the famed Strip.
Everyone is more or less angry.
The first disaster struck 15 minutes into the first practice session as a loose manhole cover effectively destroyed two cars and left others needing underbody repairs. It forced the FIA, the governing body of Formula 1, to cancel the remainder of the session to evaluate and repair the rest of the circuit.
This was around 9 p.m. local time.
The second practice session was delayed to 3 a.m. local time after track repairs were completed but it was too late for event staff, who were dismissed from their duties until Friday night, which also necessitated clearing the grandstands.
After only getting 15 minutes of first practice before it was canceled, fans who stayed up late weren’t even permitted to stay for the second practice session, one that at least went smoothly from a competition standpoint.
The city never sleeps, but event staff needed to as it were. The end result felt and sounded like the empty grandstands events during the COVID-19 lockdown period.
The track damaged the Alpine Formula 1 Team car driven by Esteban Ocon and the Ferrari driven by Carlos Sainz. Both cars required extensive chassis repairs and whole parts replacement. Sainz will be forced to start the race on early Sunday morning from the rear of the field after needing a new power unit.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur did not mince words immediately after the incident.
“The situation is we damaged completely the monocoque, the engine, the batteries… and I think it’s just unacceptable,” he said.
The FIA was not moved by the circumstances and will not grant any leniency.
“If they had the authority to grant a derogation in what they consider in this case to be mitigating, unusual and unfortunate circumstances, they would have done so, however the regulations do not allow such action.”
It is believed that the FIA could have granted a waiver on the penalty if all the teams agreed but Mercedes blocked such a decision.
Mercedes principal Toto Wolff was seated next to Vasseur in a press conference between the sessions and said something microphones could not pick up that elicited an outburst from the Ferrari chief.
“Toto, you would be upset in my situation,” he responded.
In real time, Red Bull principal Christian Horner told Sky Sports that it was a shame what happened to FP1.
“They are going to have to check all the manhole covers and weld them or do something because you can see the damage that it has done,” Horner said. “It’s a great shame for the fans but safety comes first. We have got to get this right and hopefully it won’t take too long.”
A reporter asked Wolff during the press conference if he saw the day as a ‘black eye’ for Formula 1 and it elicited the most passionate outburst Wolff had shown all season.
“This is not a black eye,” Wolff said. “This is nothing.
“It is Thursday night. We have one practice session that we are not doing. They are going to seal the drain covers and nobody will talk about that tomorrow.”
And he wasn’t done when asked for clarification.
“How can you even dare to talk badly about an event that sets the new standard? You’re speaking about a f—— drain cover that’s been undone, and that has happened in F1 before. It is first practice. Give credit to the people that have set up this Grand Prix, and that have made the sport much bigger than it ever was.
“Liberty Media have done an awesome job, and just because a drain cover has become undone, we shouldn’t be moaning.
“We need to analyze how we can make sure that this doesn’t happen again. But sitting here talking about a black eye for the sport on a Thursday evening… nobody watches that in European time anyway.”
The entire dynamic was best summed up by three-time champion Max Verstappen, who has been grumpy all weekend, saying even before the race weekend that Vegas was ’99 percent show and one percent sporting event,’ but that important one percent got off to a messy start.
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Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.
