F1 FARCE: Las Vegas Grand Prix’s second practice finally takes place at 2.30am – with first practice cancelled and $200-a-ticket fans evacuated – after drain cover came loose under 200mph cars to spoil the glamour

• The Las Vegas Grand Prix has descended into a farce after chaotic start  
• Second practice started at 2.30am after loose drain cover caused huge issues 
• There were empty stands after fans who paid $200 for a ticket were sent home 

The Las Vegas Grand Prix’s second practice finally got underway at 2.30am on Friday after a loose drain cover caused havoc in the first session – but many fans weren’t present to see it.

In a nightmare start to Formula One’s glitziest weekend, the first practice was scrapped after just eight minutes when a red flag was thrown by the race director after Ocon’s Alpine and then Sainz’s Ferrari suffered significant damage having run over the damaged part of the track.

And as the second session began, pictures began to emerge of the drain cover that had been filled in by workers – with residue visible on top of the manhole showing how it had been quickly fixed to get the practice back on track. 

Second Practice was due to begin at midnight (8am GMT), but that was then delayed to 2am (10am GMT) – before being pushed back once more to 2.30am (10.30am GMT). 

The late start time leaves F1 officials scrambling to re-open the roads to the public. Public roads are due to be open again at 4am (12pm GMT) on Friday, causing a headache for organisers with the session set to last around 90 minutes. 

Many fans had left amid the chaos and confusion that followed the nightmare start as workers battled to fix the loose manhole cover – with videos on social media showing rows of empty seats in the stands. 

The Las Vegas Grand Prix’s second practice session got underway at 2.30am on Friday

The session had been pushed back after a loose drain hole on the track caused chaos 

Pictures showed how the drain covers had been filled to get the session back on track 

Organisers face a scramble to reopen the roads to the public at 4am this morning

Some fans have paid $185,000 (£150,000) for the privilege to be at the event in Sin City – and this setback left the faces of F1 bosses bright red as fans booed from the stands when the cancellation was announced.

This was not the start envisaged for an event that was supposed to be a glamorous affair for the sport. 

There had already been a glitzy opening ceremony that saw Kylie Minogue perform – as well as John Legend, Keith Urban and DJ Steve Aoki.

And stars like Lewis Hamilton had embraced the stylish nature of the event on the red carpet in midweek as he arrived wearing an all-black outfit with trenchcoat and sunglasses.

This was supposed to be Formula One’s most glamorous event after Kylie Minogue (L) headlined the opening ceremony while Lewis Hamilton (R) did his best to embrace the style

F1 chiefs will be cursing their luck after the glitz and glamour was quickly washed away amid the chaos of the loose drain cover. 

Race officials had released a statement that an inspection by Formula One and FIA determined ‘a single water valve cover … failed’ in the first practice. 

The FIA later said Sainz hit the concrete frame around a manhole cover and the governing body must now inspect every manhole cover on the course.

‘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 FIA said.

The stands were nearly empty after fans who had paid £200 per ticket were sent home

Track marshals and officials tend to the area of the track that saw first practice ended early

A visibily upset Fred Vasseur asked to leave his press conference early following the incident.

The Ferrari team boss said: ‘We had a very tough FP1 one that will cost us a fortune. We f***ed up the session for Carlos.

‘We won’t be part of the FP2 for sure because we change the chassis of the car. Okay, the show is the show and everything is going well but I think it’s just unacceptable for the F1 today.’

However, his opposite number Mercedes boss Toto Wolff went off on critics of the Las Vegas Grand Prix after the incident.

‘That is not a black eye,’ Wolff said. ‘This is nothing!’

He then added: ‘It’s completely ridiculous! Completely ridiculous, FP1, how can you even dare try to talk bad about an event that sets the new standards to everything? And then you’re speaking about a f***ing drain cover that’s been undone. That has happened before! That’s nothing, it’s FP1!’

Carlos Sainz saw his Ferrari damaged when he hit the manhole cover during first practice

The crew for Alpine check Esteban Ocon’s car for possible damage from the cover

The scenes were a nightmare for race organizers at the start of a massive weekend for F1

LAS VEGAS GP WEEKEND SCHEDULE 

November 17: Practice 2 (8am GMT/12am PST)

November 18: Practice 3 (4.30am GMT/8.30pm PST)

November 18: Qualifying (8am GMT/12am PST)

November 19: Race (6am GMT/10pm PST) 

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner discussed the situation with his Ferrari counterpart Vasseur on the pit wall. After Sainz’s 200mph run-in with the drain on Sin City’s famous Strip, the Scuderia confirmed there was extensive damage to the Spaniard’s machinery.

Only five laps were completed in front of the crowds.

A few hours earlier the streets of the Las Vegas Boulevard were open to regular traffic.

Question marks lie at the door of the FIA, the governing body, who sign off the track. Race director Niels Wittich is the man responsible.

A few weeks ago, a senior FIA staff member told Mail Sport they were satisfied everything was in good order ‘between the barriers’ – their code for the race track limits rather than anything surrounding it, or commercial.

Horner said: ‘It’s a shame we are not allowed on track. They are going to have to check all the manhole covers and weld them or do something because you can see the damage it’s done. We are all good. No damage for us so far.

‘They have got to be flexible. It’s a great shame for the fans but safety comes first. We have got to get this right and hopefully it won’t take too long.’

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