The second practice session for the Las Vegas GP was finally held early on Friday morning, but the action kicked off in front of empty grandstands.
The session was delayed from midnight to 2:30am to allow the venue’s maintenance workers to conduct a thorough inspection of the water valve covers embedded in the track.
The checks took place following two incidents involving Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon whose cars were severely damaged in the opening minutes of FP1 when they hit and dislodged a water valve cover.
The incidents led to the session being red flagged and then cancelled as the track’s safety was called into question.
The extent of the damage inflicted to the Ferrari and Alpine machines was such that both teams were forced to build up a new car from a reserve chassis.
The delayed FP2 session kicked off as scheduled at 2:30am, or after the end of the final shift of the track’s unionized security personnel, which compelled the organisers to empty the grandstands.
The fans were predictably none too pleased with the decision to send them home, and few blamed them given the prices charged by F1 – which is its own promoter in Las Vegas – for this weekend’s racing extravaganza.
Ahead of this weekend’s race, general admission tickets were sold for over $800. Thursday’s visitors enjoyed nine minutes of track action overall, although a congregation of fans was apparently able to watch FP2 from various areas around the track.
After the session, Las Vegas Grad Prix issued the following statement:
“There is no higher priority at a Formula 1 race than the safety and security of drivers, fans and staff alike,” said the statement.
“Following last night’s incident involving a water valve cover, the Las Vegas Grand Prix, F1 and the FIA decided to take extra precautions to ensure the integrity of the track prior to the resumption of racing. These additional measures required multiple hours to fully complete, which led to a significant delay in the race schedule.
“Given the lateness of the hour and logistical concerns regarding the safe movement of fans and employees out of the circuit, LVGP made the difficult decision to close the fan zones prior to the beginning of free practice two.
“With a full round of practice successfully completed, LVGP looks forward to providing a safe and entertaining race weekend for all.”
A hint of an apology by F1 - which is nowhere to be found in the above statement - would have perhaps been appreciated by the event's patient fans.
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