Manhole cover chaos causes major embarrassment for F1 chiefs in Las Vegas

Formula One bosses were facing up to one of the most embarrassing days in the sport’s recent history after practice for the much-anticipated Las Vegas Grand Prix was completed at 4am in an empty arena.

After months of hype leading up to the £500million race, the first running was abandoned with just eight minutes on the clock.

Second practice was then delayed by two-and-a-half hours, and played out in front of vacant grandstands after furious fans were ejected to comply with local laws.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc topped the order, with Max Verstappen sixth and Lewis Hamilton ninth, but the event – billed by F1 chiefs as the greatest show on earth – dramatically unravelled more than seven hours previously.

A water valve cover broke free from the newly laid tarmac and tore into the underbelly of Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari at 210mph on the Las Vegas Boulevard.

The force of the impact visibly jolted Sainz in the cockpit and, amid a flurry of white smoke and orange sparks, disabled his machine.

Race director Niels Wittich red-flagged the session, but not before Esteban Ocon also struck the debris. On-board footage from Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin captured the 42-year-old dramatically dodging the loose drain cover.

Eleven minutes later, at 8:49pm, it was announced practice would not be resumed.

Both Sainz and Ocon escaped without injury – but their cars were severely damaged. A giant hole tore through Sainz’s Ferrari leaving his mechanics facing an extensive repair job. Team principal Frederic Vasseur, who appeared in a pre-arranged press conference moments later, was furious.

An incredible effort by the crew to completely change @Carlossainz55’s car for FP2