"Maybe concentrate on making it a motor race instead of a bloody circus!": F1 fans furious at FP1 running for only 9 mins in the Las Vegas GP

F1 fans were left fuming after the FP1 session was canceled just nine minutes into its running at the Las Vegas GP. The FP1 session ended prematurely after Carlos Sainz stopped on the track due to damage to his car.

The Spanish driver had sustained damage to his SF-23 after running over a manhole cover on the Las Vegas Strip which destroyed the underbody floor and the power unit. It is being reported that three cars had reported damage in the first few minutes of the session.

FIA decided to cancel the FP1 session as they recognized that the incident was a safety issue and had to check all the drain covers to prevent this from reoccurring. FIA in their statement said:

"After inspection by Formula 1 and the FIA, a single water valve cover on the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit failed during the first practice session. The FIA, F1, and local circuit engineering teams are actively working to review and address the issue. We will provide an update on the race schedule as soon as possible.”

F1 fans on social media vented their frustrations, with one fan claiming that the sport should have focused more on the racing side than the showbiz aspect, saying:

"Maybe concentrate on making it a motor race instead of a bloody circus"

Here are some more reactions:

Ferrari F1 boss gives his take on the drain cover destroying the SF-23

Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur stated that the issue of a manhole cover causing damage to a car was not a "new one" as it had happened previously in Baku and Monaco.

Speaking at the pre-race press conference, Vasseur said that the event put on by the sport has been "mega" for the Las Vegas GP:

"I'm still convinced that the event is mega for F1. As James said before, this happened in Monaco a couple of years ago. I remember Baku 2019. I remember that we had a couple of occasions like this. But again, I was already convinced before FP1 that the event was mega for F1 and I'm still convinced of that and we have to continue in this direction."

"I remember also at Zandvoort, when they started to have the music into the grandstand, everybody had to copy them the race after, and I think probably we will do a step forward in the right direction, from Vegas."

Sainz's SF-23 incurred heavy damages and necessitated changing a lot of parts, resulting in a 10-place grid penalty for the Ferrari driver. The stewards claimed that they could not go against the regulations despite accepting that the damage occurred in "unusual external circumstances".