Las Vegas GP resumes in front of empty stands as fans sent home at 1:30am

Farcical scenes continued in Vegas after practice was delayed by Carlos Sainz running over a loose drain cover

The snake-bitten Las Vegas Grand Prix descended into further farce in the early hours of Friday morning as fans were sent home just an hour before the much-delayed second free practice session got underway.

F1’s return to Vegas could hardly have been more disastrous as the first practice session was abandoned due to a loose drain cover. FP1 had only been going for eight minutes when Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari rolled to a stop on the ‘Sin City’ strip, having suffered substantial floor damage.

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Driving at speeds of over 200mph, Sainz went over the loose drain cover before veering to the side and stopping the car after the impact, leaving Ferrari furious at the damage caused.

To add salt to the wound, the Spaniard was then issued a 10-place grid penalty for making changes to his car following the loose drain incident.

The issue caused huge delays to the schedule as frantic work ensued to ensure the track was safe, with FP2 – which was originally supposed to get underway at 12am local time (8am GMT) – delayed until 2am (10am GMT) and then pushed back a further 30 minutes.

Yet it was only at 1.30am in Vegas that an announcement finally came over the tannoy, officially sending fans home from the venue due to “logistical considerations”, meaning FP2 resumed with the backdrop of eerily empty stands.

Regarding the initial drain cover issue, F1’s governing body the FIA stated: “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.

“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.”

FP2 was extended to 90 minutes to allow teams more track time but the variety of issues seemed to only confirm the viewpoint of reigning world champion Max Verstappen, who launched a scathing rebuke of the event earlier this week – calling it “99 per cent show, 1 per cent sporting event” and “you just look like a clown” after being introduced to the crowd at a lavish opening ceremony on Wednesday.