Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur has blasted the "unacceptable" circuit problems at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Nine minutes into the first practice session, Carlos Sainz stopped on track at Turn 17 after running over a loose drain cover in his SF-23. Onboard video shows that he ran over the cover and it immediately shut down his engine, with external CCTV images from the nearby Bellagio Hotel showing a shower of sparks after the impact. When asked about the damage to Sainz's car, Vasseur told media, including RacingNews365 : "We damaged completely the monocoque, the engine, the battery. I think it’s just unacceptable. "It cost us a fortune. We f***d up the session for Carlos. We won’t be part of FP2 for sure. "I think it’s just unacceptable for F1 today." The FIA elected to red flag and abandon the session, after it emerged that Alpine driver Esteban Ocon also hit a drain cover. Formula 1 and the FIA confirmed that it was a "water valve cover" that failed, with work ongoing to fix the issue ahead of the subsequent sessions.
Vasseur: F1 must separate the show and sporting side
Track inspections were delayed due to the opening ceremony on Wednesday, with the regular high speed test taking place late into the evening and minutes before practice. Vasseur added that he felt the sporting aspect should not be overlooked amid the show being put on at Las Vegas. "The show is mega and I'm really happy with what Liberty [Media] did around the race and I think it's a huge step forward for F1," he added. "We have to separate what is the show and the sporting side."
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