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The Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend got off to a dire start when a loose manhole cover damaged two cars and caused the first practice session to be called off after just four laps.
Carlos Sainz came to a sudden halt in his Ferrari after the underside of the car was hit on a stretch of the track on the Strip.
The Alpine of Esteban Ocon was also damaged, which was caused by the concrete frame around the manhole cover breaking.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur was fuming afterwards, and said that Sainz would play no part in the second practice session while his chassis was changed.
A loose manhole cover damaged two cars and caused a halt to practice in Las VegasAFP via Getty ImagesHe said: “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.
“We had a very bad FP1. We won’t be part of FP2 because we have to change the chassis. I think it’s just unacceptable for F1 today.”
Governing body the FIA announced after initial checks that the entire session had been called off while inspections were carried out on all manhole covers around the 3.8mile circuit.
A spokeperson said: “Following inspection, it was the concrete frame around a manhole cover that has failed. We now need to check all of the other manhole covers, which will take some time.
Carlos Sainz inspects the damage to the underside of his FerrariAP“We will be discussing with the local circuit engineering team about the length of time it will take to resolve and will update with any resultant changes to the schedule.”
The incident had echoes of another street circuit at the 2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where the Williams of George Russell was badly damaged by a drain cover.