Norris on top in twice red-flagged Las Vegas GP practice

LAS VEGAS :McLaren's Formula One championship leader Lando Norris topped the Las Vegas Grand Prix timesheets on Thursday after second practice was twice red-flagged due to a loose drain cover.

The track action was halted as a precautionary measure with 20 minutes to run after a marshal reported the problem just before Turn 17 of the floodlit street circuit.

Red flags were then waved again with just over two minutes remaining to end the session shortly after the drivers had returned to the track following a 15-minute delay.

The governing FIA said on-site personnel had reported the same manhole cover was still shifting as cars passed over it.

Loose drain covers were a problem in practice for the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix in 2023, with one wrecking Carlos Sainz's Ferrari when he drove over it.

Norris, who has a 24-point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri going into the race with three rounds remaining, produced a best time of one minute, 33.602 seconds on the soft tyres after Ferrari's Charles Leclerc set the pace in practice one with 1:34.802.

Norris had brushed the wall without damage in that opening session and was sixth, while Piastri was eighth.

The Australian was 14th in the second practice after having to abort a quick lap before the first red flag, and not getting in a lap on the softs, with McLaren looking more competitive on the evolving track.

Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli was second, 0.029 slower than Norris, and Leclerc third, the Monegasque stopping with four minutes remaining.

"Something broke. Gearbox. Can I shift or not?" he asked over the radio, his race engineer telling him not to.

The Williams of Alex Albon was second in the opening practice session, with Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda third and four-times world champion