Interesting details emerge on how the F1 Las Vegas GP track was homologated by the FIA race director: Reports

The 2023 F1 Las Vegas GP is a brand new circuit in F1. Hence, several tests were done on and around the track to ensure a smooth race weekend in the entertainment capital of the world. However, there have been some reports claiming that the routine track inspection done by FIA race directors took quite a lot of time.

According to a report from Christian Nimmervoll on Motorsport-Total, when FIA race director Niels Wittich ran the course with his crew, numerous areas were still under construction or incomplete. Hence, he could not approve the Grand Prix with a clean slate. Ideally, Wittich should have approved the course on Tuesday, but everything was delayed due to the track still being incomplete.

Hence, on Wednesday, the inspection had to be repeated. One of the most bizarre news stories was that the FIA race directors and seniors were not even sure that the Grand Prix might happen at the time of the grand opening ceremony. This meant that the race directors did not give the green light to the track even when F1 teams were settling in their garages, ready for the entire race weekend.

Journalist Jenna Fryer also claimed that the final track inspection for the Las Vegas GP track was done on Thursday morning. This was mainly because of late-night traffic on Wednesday and last-minute finishing touches to the track.

Overall, due to several hiccups, the FIA race director reportedly had to delay the track inspection so much so that it was completed on the day of the first and second practice sessions. The main reason for the delay was that the track was still under construction.

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Ferrari team principal enraged by Carlos Sainz's SF-23 encountering damage in the 2023 F1 Las Vegas GP practice session

A few minutes after the first practice session of the 2023 F1 Las Vegas GP went underway, it was red-flagged because Carlos Sainz's car hit a drain pipe cover that was dislodged from it's position on the track. This caused loads of damage to the car and will cost the Italian team a fortune to fix. Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur was not at all happy with the situation. After the FP1 session was cancelled, he said:

"We damaged completely the monocoque, the engine, the battery. I think it’s just unacceptable. It cost us a fortune. We f*cked up the session for Carlos. We won’t be part of FP2 for sure. I think it’s just unacceptable for F1 today."

Thankfully, Carlos Sainz was able to take part in FP2, which was delayed by two and a half hours.