LAS VEGAS: Charles Leclerc led Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz in a practice one-two on Friday to cap an extraordinary first night at the Las Vegas Grand Prix with the delayed track action ending at4 a.m. and in front of empty grandstands after earlier drama.
Sainz’s performance was all the more impressive considering the Spaniard’s car had been wrecked by a loose drain cover that forced the cancellation of first practice after just eight minutes of action. White smoke and sparks erupted from the Ferrari as the cover punched a hole through the floor, leaving a trail of destruction that triggered an automatic 10-place grid penalty for Saturday night’s race.
The survival cell, engine, battery and control electronics were all damaged beyond repair during an incident that Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur called “unacceptable.”
“I think it’s tough for a team to arrive in Vegas and to have this kind of incident,” he said as mechanics rebuilt Sainz’s car. Action resumed more than five-and-a-half hours later at 2:30 a.m. following repairs to the 3.8-mile course which runs down the famed Strip and against a backdrop of neon-lit hotels and casinos, but with fans cleared from the grandstands.
Despite the governing FIA recognising “highly unusual external circumstances,” Formula One stewards said Sainz would still incur a 10-place grid penalty for Saturday’s race.
Alpine driver Esteban Ocon’s chassis also needed to be replaced due to damage but he too returned for second practice. Leclerc’s fastest lap of one minute 35.265 seconds was 0.517 faster than Sainz.