Formula 1 canceled the first free practice sessions of the Las Vegas Grand Prix (USA) this Thursday due to covering the manhole on the track which caused the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz to stop.
The Spanish driver, who jumped over the loose or raised manhole cover as if overcoming a hole or some kind of obstacle, came out unharmed and without any problems from the incident, but his car had to be towed .
These first free practice sessions are canceled without a half-hour test at the city track.
Sainz was traveling in a straight line when, as seen on the television broadcast of the training sessions, he collided with something on the track. The car jumps and a loud noise can be heard on the television.
The Spaniard’s Ferrari stopped immediately and stopped on the left side of the track, causing a red flag at the circuit.
A few minutes later, the FIA decided to cancel these first tests because of this incident.
The broadcast images showed that Sainz’s car was noticed to be damaged under the car and that the FIA representatives went to see the condition of the car while it was being removed.
“After an inspection by the FIA, it was found that the concrete frame around a culvert failed in the first free practice session,” said Formula 1 on its official X account (the social network which used to be known as Twitter). .
The FIA has also confirmed that it has begun a review of all similar coverage of the route and that it will later report any changes to the scheduled schedule of this Grand Prix.
On the other hand, Alpine announced at 10:00 pm (06:00 GMT Sunday).
The first free practice sessions in Las Vegas begin this Thursday at 8:30 local time (04:30 GMT on Friday), while the second session is scheduled for midnight in Nevada City (08:00 GMT).
This unfortunate and worrying incident overshadowed the start of this Grand Prix in Las Vegas, which debuted on the Formula One calendar and which appears as one of the highlights of the 2023 season.
