First Vegas practice abandoned after 10 minutes as loose drain damages cars

57 comments on “First Vegas practice abandoned after 10 minutes as loose drain damages cars”

1. 

   Armchair Expert (@armchairexpert)
   17th November 2023, 5:18

   ‘99% show, 1% sport’
2. 

   S
   17th November 2023, 5:19

   Underfloor downforce and manhole covers/inspection points have never and will never mix.
   Just change the cars and automatically solve most, if not all, of the adverse effects coming from F1’s constant unhealthy fascination with aero.
3. 

   Mike Davies (@nanotech)
   17th November 2023, 5:21

   That could have been a LOT worse than it was. Yikes. Not exactly a small lightweight loose object. Glad nobody got hurt.
4. 

   kcrossle (@kcrossle)
   17th November 2023, 5:23

   Who could have imagined such a happenstance?!
   1. 

      S
      17th November 2023, 5:25

      That’s sarcasm, right?
      Just checking…
   2. 

      bosyber (@bosyber)
      17th November 2023, 9:53

      Nobody that has watched F1 for years, including the first Baku Race or quite a few Monaco ones,surely.
      1. 

         Monosodico
         17th November 2023, 10:42

         Was it in China? That a loose drain cover damaged Montoya’s McLaren?
5. 

   Snfaulkner
   17th November 2023, 5:26

   Does Ferrari and other damaged teams get to sue Vegas?
6. 

   LyndaMarks
   17th November 2023, 5:26

   Martin Brundle is jumping through hoops to desperately defend this track insisting that teams just need to raise the cars.

   The coverage has been frankly embarrassing.
   1. 

      LyndaMarks
      17th November 2023, 5:30

      Also been taking shots at Verstappen fir criticising the event and track.

      Also this from Horner on Sky.
      “It’s not the most interesting or challenging track for drivers but then neither is Montreal”.

      Is he serious? Drivers as well as fans love Montreal because it’s a fun track thats a challenge for drivers. This Vegas abomination is in no way comparible.
   2. 

      S
      17th November 2023, 5:31

      He’s not at all. Brundle’s just describing what’s happened and why.
      You, on the other hand, haven’t said anything positive or even so much as neutral about it – and in this one comment say so much about your lack of understanding of it.

      The TV commentary isn’t nearly as embarrassing as the stuff that appears in these comments sections.
   3. 

      AlexS
      17th November 2023, 8:19

      I have no respect for any journalist that depends on Liberty.
   4. 

      Dex
      17th November 2023, 10:20

      I’ve always liked Brundle and his commentary. It was limited by what he was allowed to say of course, but unlike with that Croft guy, he’d at least actually voice a genuine opinion here and there. Plus he knows what he’s talking about, usually.
      Today I lost my respect for him. He was actually attacking a driver for giving an honest answer to a direct question, and a polite answer at that (it’s not like used bad language like Wolff did today or something). They started the broadcast by attacking the F1 champion for not liking the event, like that’s a crime, and brainwashing us how everything is so great and lovely (almost like I should feel ashamed if I don’t like it).
      I couldn’t believe seeing how Brundle is blatantly suggesting that Verstappen should have lied (like many drivers probably did), if he didn’t have only positive things to say (which would be “proper”, I guess). A grown man in his age, with his experience, playing this role… That’s sad.
      And Button as well, saying how Verstappen is paid to do other stuff than racing. But Verstappen DID show up and he did what he was supposed to do, didn’t he? What was that guy talking about!? He’s not paid to like it too. Maybe Button is, I don’t know…
      1. 

         DaveW (@dmw)
         17th November 2023, 17:06

         You are forgetting how everyone from the broadcasters to the drivers had to fall in line in Jeddah after a missile hit the title sponsors refinery a few miles down the road.
7. 

   Zann (@zann)
   17th November 2023, 5:33

   how many manholes are there? Anyone heard?
   1. 

      Jimmi Cynic (@jimmi-cynic)
      17th November 2023, 7:12

      Will re-watch Ocean’s 11 and get back to you…
   2. 

      JohnS
      17th November 2023, 12:02

      CART race several years ago, had the similar problem, they had failed to weld one of them closed.
8. 

   GeeMac (@geemac)
   17th November 2023, 5:33

   The ghost of Baku 2019 has struck again…
9. 

   F1 Stats Fan
   17th November 2023, 5:33

   Carlos Sainz didn’t bring out the yellow – don’t know why brought them out but Sainz was not yet at the point where yellows were, he advised of them prior to him hitting the drain cover.
10. 

    Dudley Winn
    17th November 2023, 5:41

    Spend half a billion and don’t fix drains lol. They have had this before, obviously didn’t learn a lesson.
    1. 

       LyndaMarks
       17th November 2023, 5:50

       Apparently this is a different issue to what has been seen before as it didn’t simply lift the cover.

       It was a failure of the concrete that had been laid around the cover which caused not just the cover but the thing it’s bolted into to come up.

       In the instances where something like this has happened in the past it’s just been a bolt that has been loose that has caused only the cover or drain grating to lift enough for it to do damage.

       So usually they just need to bolt it back down and ensure it and all others around the track are screwed down tight.

       This will seemingly need new concrete laid down around thie one that failed as well as perhaps every other one of these covers so it’s seemingly a much bigger problem.
       1. 

          Facts&Stats
          17th November 2023, 7:28

          It wasn’t a manhole though, but a much smaller cover (with the whole – I assume metal – surrounding structure).
          Fixing that seems easier as they can bolt that metal structure horizontally below the track surface, and bolt the cover back on.
          Not sure how many of these smaller covers they have around the circuit.
11. 

    Mark (@mrcento)
    17th November 2023, 5:48

    Seems like the concrete frame around the manhole failed, not the cover itself.

    I’m no expert, but that seems potentially worse than the cover, or the welding to secure it, failing.

    Not like they can start ripping them out and putting new concrete in at this point. And how are they going to check them? Rip them open, inspect, strengthen if needs be then re-weld? That’s probably several days worth of work, not a few hours.
    1. 

       grat
       17th November 2023, 6:26

       I would expect they’ll have to drill bore holes in the surrounding pavement and put crossmembers in and weld the manhole covers to that.

       Will be interesting to see if they can have it ready by FP2. Hopefully this isn’t a problem common to all the drains on the Strip.
12. 

    Tommy C (@tommy-c)
    17th November 2023, 5:52

    Wow. How much were they selling tickets for again…? This is starting to feel very Indy 2005 to me… What an awkward few days it has been for F1 following that weird opening ceremony!
13. 

    Jere (@jerejj)
    17th November 2023, 5:56

    What an embarrassing error by organizers.
    1. 

       Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
       17th November 2023, 7:54

       Liberty should be ashamed
14. 

    Jay
    17th November 2023, 6:02

    And Andretti wonders why nobody respects Americans in F1. Absolute embarrassment.

    I was rooting for this event to succeed but now, I’m hoping for maximum embarrassment. I just hope nobody gets injured.
    1. 

       Khürt Williams (@khurtwilliams)
       17th November 2023, 14:36

       What do you expect from a country founded after a revolt over taxes?
       1. 

          DaveW (@dmw)
          17th November 2023, 17:03

          Nah. It was about freedom. (For some of us).
15. 

    Crawliin-from-the-wreckage (@davedai)
    17th November 2023, 6:06

    They may be able to get away with some 🚧Roadworks in Progress signs,🚧single lane , 40kph speed limit , and merge carefully and courteously signs (if they have enough) 🚧🚧🚧🚧
    1. 

       neiana
       17th November 2023, 7:46

       Just toss a yellow flag like F1 purists want.
    2. 

       Asd
       17th November 2023, 8:55

       Indeed, they can install all kinds of silly chicances just like they did in 1994 after Imola.
16. 

    GT Racer (@gt-racer)
    17th November 2023, 6:15

    Here’s a bit of a story for you.

    They weren’t able to do a proper track inspection because it was still been built on Tuesday with some parts of it still open for traffic when Niels Wittich was trying to do the track inspection.

    They ended up having to rush it during the opening ceremony yesterday and didn’t declare the circuit as safe and ready until after that ceremony.

    It doesn’t seem like any of the usual procedures or checks were skipped but due to not having as much time as usual things were done at a faster pace.

    Also talk FP2 w
    1. 

       GT Racer (@gt-racer)
       17th November 2023, 6:17

       Also talk FP2 will be extended to 90 minutes if it is able to take place.

       If FP2 has to be cancelled as well then FP3 will be extended to at least 90 minutes.
       1. 

          GT Racer (@gt-racer)
          17th November 2023, 6:25

          Damage to Carlos Sainz car is that the chassis is unrepairable, floor is wrecked and both the engine and battery are destroyed.

          Fred Vasseur says that Liberty are responsible and should pay for the damage which is millions of dollars.

          He’s furious.
          1. 

             grat
             17th November 2023, 6:28

             Can’t imagine why he’s upset– that’s enough penalties that Sainz will be starting from the pitlane– in AUSTIN. And the team’s now going to have to build up an entirely new car, with a new engine and energy store.
          2. 

             GT Racer (@gt-racer)
             17th November 2023, 6:33

             Issues have been found with multiple drain covers around the circuit.
          3. 

             bosyber (@bosyber)
             17th November 2023, 9:59

             Wow,that’s a lot of damage indeed.guess if mannhole with attached Bits of concrete strikes from below most Road Cars would suffer Engine and transmission damage to so no wonder really,whole bottom probably ripped up
          4. 

             spoutnik (@spoutnik)
             17th November 2023, 10:43

             What a disaster, thank you for your insights.
    2. 

       Red Andy (@red-andy)
       17th November 2023, 7:26

       This practice of not homologating the circuit until the F1 weekend itself needs to stop, immediately. It happened in Jeddah too and that inaugural event was a dangerous farce, across the support categories as well as F1. It happened in Miami too, although that event was just boring rather than unsafe fortunately.

       I’ve said this before, but new circuits should be required to host at least one non-F1 category before being considered for the F1 calendar. Might be tricky with temporary street circuits, but if Liberty really want an F1 race in a particular city, they’ll make it happen.
       1. 

          Jere (@jerejj)
          17th November 2023, 7:42

          @red-andy I couldn’t agree more about leaving homologation until the last minute, & while you already acknowledged the difficulty of hosting something before F1 with temporary circuits, any such racing could realistically only take place earlier on the same weekend rather than any sooner because of inconvenience for local traffic & business.
       2. 

          GT Racer (@gt-racer)
          17th November 2023, 7:47

          @red-andy Circuits used to have to host another event before been homologated for F1.

          That rule was ended in 2010 i believe it was in order to get the Korean GP the go ahead.

          I don’t even think it needed to be an actual race event. Some form of track day, test session or parade featuring historic cars was enough from memory. Just needed to be something to have cars running around it.
          1. 

             Red Andy (@red-andy)
             17th November 2023, 9:50

             Thanks as always for the insight. A track day around the Las Vegas GP circuit in advance of the event might have been almost as big a money-spinner as the F1 weekend itself! Although doubtless very disruptive for the local area.
17. 

    DWinn
    17th November 2023, 6:53

    It’s obviously very draining for the drivers.
18. 

    MadMax (@madmax)
    17th November 2023, 7:02

    Its time to pack things for Abu Dhabi, i guess.
19. 

    Fitzroyalty (@fitzroyalty)
    17th November 2023, 7:16

    Monaco 2016 https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12517/10294890/jenson-button-hits-dislodged-drain-cover-during-monaco-gp-p1
    Baku 2019 https://au.motorsport.com/f1/news/raikkonen-drain-incident-baku-amateurs/4376332/
    Turkey 2007 https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/hamilton-on-top-in-practice-2-turkey-4412567/4412567/

    How many times does this have to happen?
    1. 

       Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
       17th November 2023, 7:28

       It’s different this time, the concrete failed not the manhole cover itself. Much more difficult to inspect and fix.
    2. 

       Red Andy (@red-andy)
       17th November 2023, 7:28

       Shanghai 2005 is the one that sticks in my mind – might even have cost McLaren the constructors’ championship that year.
20. 

    Michael A.
    17th November 2023, 7:19

    The Formula One farce continues!
21. 

    Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
    17th November 2023, 8:00

    Absolutely pathetic.

    Formula 1 cars are meant to race on Formula 1 circuits, not cobbled together tracks at venues that the promoters think ‘look cool’.

    It’s the equivalent of holding the football World Cup final in the middle of Red Square.

    We want competitive racing, not scenery!!!
    1. 

       Asd
       17th November 2023, 8:57

       Oh stop, street tracks have forever been part of motorsport! They just need to be prepared better, that’s all. Vegas is a fantastic racing track, only the organization is bad.
       1. 

          Khürt Williams (@khurtwilliams)
          17th November 2023, 14:29

          Vegas is a fantastic racing track, only the organization is bad.

          It’s a new track. How do you know it’s a “..fantastic racing track”?
    2. 

       Asd
       17th November 2023, 9:00

       “We want competitive racing, not scenery!!!”
       If you want competitive racing, F1 should be your last choice to watch. Also, poorly prepared drainage system has nothing to do with racing competitiveness. You seem to be hysterical like a woman with no sensible remarks. Calm down, mate.
       1. 

          Dex
          17th November 2023, 10:11

          In this case “poorly prepared drainage system” can kill. You’re too calm. Like it was a minor issue… No, it was not. As for the scenery, all I could see are huuuuge flashing ads, on that sphere and many billboards. But if that’s a matter of taste, I’ll leave it at that; some people like watching the giant flashing shampoo add next to the track at night.
22. 

    SteveP
    17th November 2023, 8:45

    We want competitive racing, not scenery!!!

    Scenery?
    Have you seen the video of the drive round of the circuit.
    Central Milton Keynes would be a major upgrade
23. 

    Dex
    17th November 2023, 10:06

    I’m afraid that their greed (F1 organization and the promoters too) will eventually kill someone. This is what 99% show and 1% racing means for me. You invest everything in a show, and force all the other issues and also force people not to talk about them. Like those guys from Sky attacked Verstappen for speaking his mind, in their intro before the FP session (I was surprised by M. Brundle to be honest). What was their message, that he should have lied and smiled? Shame on them for that. And he didn’t even talk about safety issues, I can only imagine what he’d say with hindsight. There’s no way that they didn’t know about structural integrity of that road, they knew exactly how they have prepared that track. But they were willing to take risks and speed things up, instead of investing the money where it matters. If the track was properly tested, this issue would show itself before an F1 driver almost got killed (imagine he was at full speed…).
    But no, they let the actual F1 cars in an actual F1 official event test the track, at full speed, after rainy conditions the previous day I think. Maybe I’m just too biased about this event and what it represents, but don’t tell me this is normal.

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