Rain, manhole cover disrupt practice at F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix

Formula One drivers will head into qualifying for the Las Vegas Grand Prix with less information and track time than they planned after Thursday night’s second practice stopped briefly and then ended early.

A brief rain shower at the start of the session kept drivers off the track for a few minutes. Then reports of a loose manhole cover before Turn 17 brought out a red flag and stop to the practice with 20 minutes to go.

After a nearly 15-minute stoppage with no cars on the track due to the reports of the loose manhole cover, another red flag came out with two minutes left in the session that ended the second practice, due to “track maintenance,” according to the governing FIA.

The second practice Thursday night was key because it was at the same time (8 p.m.) as Friday’s qualifying and Saturday’s 50-lap race.

Friday’s action begins with the third and final practice session at 4:30 p.m., followed by qualifying at 8. The first of two F1 Academy races, the all-female F1 series, takes place at 6:15 p.m. Friday.

Thursday night’s rain shower came about 15 minutes before the start of the second practice. With the track still damp and cold, teams opted to wait in the pit lane before cars went on the track about six minutes into the session.

Everything was going smoothly until the first red flag came out.

The first statement from the FIA on the initial red flag read: “Following a marshal report of a possible loose manhole cover before Turn 17, Race Control were unable to confirm this information from the CCTV available. The session has been red flagged as a precautionary measure and Race Control personnel are currently on site assessing the situation.”

According to the the Sky Sports TV broadcast, no one hit the possible loose manhole cover. The first practice of the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix came to an abrupt end after Carlos Sainz Jr. hit a manhole cover.

The second red flag came out with two minutes left in the practice, which ended the driving. The FIA said at the time it was due to “track maintenance.”

A second statement after the second red flag from the FIA said: “Some Race Control personnel remained on-site when the session was restarted. They reported that the manhole cover was moving as cars passed over it, which led to the session being ended under red-flag conditions. Further inspections are underway.”

The track issues delayed the start of qualifying for the F1 Academy series by a few minutes before its original scheduled time of 9:30 p.m.

In the second practice, McLaren’s Lando Norris, the leader in the drivers standings, was the fastest with a time of 1 minute, 33.602 seconds. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was the fastest in the first practice (1:34.802).

‘A lot of points’

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen was fourth fastest in the first practice (1:35.109) and ninth in the second practice (1:34.105). Verstappen will need a strong run Saturday night to keep his slim series title hopes alive.

Verstappen is third in the drivers standings (341 points), facing a 49-point deficit to Norris with three races to go as the Dutch driver seeks to win his fifth straight world title.

At a Wednesday news conference, the tone of Verstappen’s voice when asked about the championship wasn’t a waving of the white flag but more of a realization that he has a tall task ahead with how dominant Norris and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri (second in the driver standings, 366 points, 24 behind Norris) have been with three races left in the season.

“It’s a lot of points, so I’m not really thinking about (the championship) too much, because there’s also not much that I can do,” Verstappen said Wednesday. “We need a lot of luck now till the end to even have an opportunity. So, I personally don’t think about that.”

Verstappen hasn’t been as dominant as he’s been the last four years. He had two wins and five total podiums in the first 14 races. Since then, Verstappen has finished on the podium in each of the last seven races. He picked up wins at Italy (Sept. 7), Azerbaijan (Sept. 21) and Austin, Texas (Oct. 19).

“It’s been (a) good (year) for sure. I think every season, you want to try and be better, which is not always easy,” Verstappen said Wednesday. “But you try to be more consistent and try to really optimize everything that you can with the car. And I think most of the time we really did that, so I’m pleased with that.

“That’s why I’m not too disappointed about (the championship),” Verstappen added. “I know my team always gave it 100 percent from the start.”

Changing his tune on Vegas

If there’s one thing that’s changed, it appears Verstappen has turned the corner on his thoughts of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

After saying the buildup to the inaugural race in 2023 was “99 percent show, 1 percent sporting event,” and that he looked “like a clown” while standing on a stage during an introduction ceremony, Verstappen has found success in Las Vegas.

He went on to win the race in 2023 and clinched his fourth straight world title with a fifth-place run last year.

“The food is great. I had a good dinner (Tuesday) night. The hotel is great,” Verstappen said Wednesday. “I also learned to not always speak too much because that’s better for myself and less headlines. That’s probably safer for everyone, but I have a good time. I’ve been here many times, even before F1, and I’ve always enjoyed it.”

Up next

■ What: Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix

■ When: 8 p.m. Saturday

■ Where: The Strip

■ TV: ESPN

■ Favorite: Max Verstappen (+160)

Friday schedule

Practice: 4:30 p.m.

F1 Academy Race 1: 6:15 p.m.

Qualifying: 8 p.m.