Las Vegas Grand Prix practice session goes awry after bizarre incident

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Formula One’s Las Vegas Grand Prix was off to a brutal start on Thursday night as the first practice session of the $500 million race was suspended nine minutes into the session because Carlos Sainz Jr. ran over a water valve cover and damaged his vehicle.

Sainz hit the concrete frame around the cover, the FIA said. The governing body of the sport said it took more than 10 minutes to get all the cars off of the track so it could inspect the entire circuit. At least for Sainz, he was ready to practice after the entire chassis on his Ferrari was replaced.

However, Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur was seeing red after the "unacceptable" incident.

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Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz climbs out of his car after he stopped on track with damage to the car during the first practice session for the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix auto race, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Nick Didlick)

"I'm not sure the topic for me today. We had a very tough FP1 that is going to cost us a fortune," he said when asked about the "bigger picture. "We (messed) up the session for Carlos... we have to change the chassis for the car. It is unacceptable for F1. You would be upset in this situation."

The FIA said the chassis change, along with other components, would be a 10-place grid penalty for Saintz. Mercedes driver Esteban Ocon’s vehicle was also damaged.

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A hole on the Las Vegas Strip is displayed before being filled in before the start of the second practice session