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For the second time in recent Formula 1 history, the self-proclaimed pinnacle of motorsport was made to look like a laughing stock in the United States.
After months of hype and hyperbole, and an eye-watering half-a-billion US dollar price tag, the long-awaited Las Vegas Grand Prix began in inauspicious circumstances, and on its opening day, concluded with empty grandstands and angry fans.
It was not a good look, and now F1, as was the case 18 years ago and the Michelin tyre debacle, the sport is faced with repairing a damaged reputation.
F1 chose Las Vegas to promote an event for the first time in its history, constructing a gargantuan pit-and-paddock complex at enormous expense and transforming the streets of Sin City into its latest racetrack to further crack the American market.
There can be no doubt, that since taking over F1 in 2017 from long-time tsar Bernie Ecclestone, Liberty Media has transformed the racing series, notably opening it up to social media, and welcoming Netflix to film a behind-the-scenes documentary that has turned the previously near-faceless drivers into stars.
In the post-Covid era, record crowds have poured through the grandstands at circuits all around the world, with fans waiting long after sessions to catch a mere glimpse of their heroes, never mind grab a coveted autograph.
When F1 announced it had signed a deal to return to Las Vegas, ending what has been a 41-year wait, it was viewed as the cherry on the cake. Finally, it held America in the palm of its hand.
In a bid to recoup the costs of creating an event from scratch, however, it immediately alienated the ‘average’ fan that has been captivated by ‘Drive to Survive’ by charging sky-high prices for tickets, with the hotels jumping on the bandwagon as they looked to lure the high-rollers to its gaudy casinos.
After Max Verstappen won his third title after the 17th of this season’s 22 races in Qatar, there was the feeling then that ‘Ah well, at least we have the spectacle of Vegas to look forward to’.
The fanfare and hullabaloo that followed was constant, although F1 was forced to dramatically lower ticket prices shortly before race week as the demand was not as anticipated.
A dramatic opening ceremony, even though it was not to everyone’s taste, just ask Verstappen, was at least a portent that the weekend would seemingly live up to its billing.
At 8.30pm local time on Thursday evening, the drawn-out build-up finally ceased as Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll became the first driver to take to the 6.201-kilometre track, with all of Vegas’ neon splendour serving as a glorious backdrop.
Eight minutes later, however, a worst-case scenario unfolded as the first practice session was red-flagged. At first glance, it seemed innocuous enough as Carlos Sainz ground to a halt in his Ferrari.
As the minutes ticked by, it quickly became apparent that something more serious was afoot, and so it transpired as Sainz’s SF23 and the Alpine of Esteban Ocon had sustained severe damage after driving over a water valve cover.
The Ferrari bore the brunt of the incident due to the concrete frame surrounding the bolted-down cover disintegrating. The force was enough to damage not only the floor of the car but also penetrate the power unit.
Ludicrously, the FIA, in its infinite wisdom, has adhered rigidly to its regulations and imposed a 10-place grid penalty on Sainz due to his power unit requiring a new energy store beyond the permitted number despite a cut-and-dried case of derogation.
An informed observer suggested to Speedcafe that the rim of the cover likely stood proud, arguably by nothing more than a few millimetres, so barely noticeable to the human eye in a track inspection.
It provided enough of a lip, however, that when a car careered over it at more than 200mph, sucked to the ground by the incredible power of today’s ground-effect engineering, it was enough to spark a chain of events that led to the damage sustained to the Ferrari and Alpine.
The FIA was eventually forced to cancel FP1 in order to conduct an inspection of other covers dotted around the track, and for the circuit’s engineering team to carry out necessary repairs.
The disappointment from the fans was palpable, but when it comes to driver safety, nothing can be taken for granted.
Soon after, with a team principals’ press conference featuring Ferrari’s Fred Vasseur and Toto Wolff from Mercedes, the Frenchman’s ire was obvious as he described what happened to Sainz as “unacceptable”.
Wolff was asked whether what had unfolded was “a black eye” for F1, to which he declared it “nothing”, and that “nobody would talk about it tomorrow”, sparking a retort from a member of his audience that his comment was “absolute rubbish”.
Wolff was outraged, using an expletive in his response, hailing Liberty Media for “an awesome job”, and that “we shouldn’t be moaning” about a drain cover.
Unfortunately, F1 has been left with more than a black eye because as the clock ticked by, the disappointment of the fans slowly grew into frustration, particularly as it appeared as if FP2 would also be cancelled.
At 1.30am, it was announced to those fans who were toughing it out that they were instead being kicked out, seemingly due to union laws dictating that the staff and security involved with the administration of the grandstands were required to finish.
Remarkably, soon after, the FIA confirmed FP2 would go ahead after all – at 2.30am!
A stroll through the paddock beforehand, and in speaking to a number of team personnel, there was a degree of gallows humour being undertaken, smiling through the incredulity of a situation that involved them working at such an hour, and as the cold set in.
When the second practice session finally started, it was against an eerie backdrop on this occasion, without a soul looking on.
What had unfolded was not as damaging as the 2005 USGP debacle when those on Michelin rubber returned to their garages at the end of the formation lap, leaving just the six using Bridgestone tyres to line up on the grid. The fury from the grandstands that day, with beer bottles raining upon the circuit, has never been witnessed in F1 either before or since.
A small sprinkling of fans who had managed to defy security made their feelings known by delivering a thumbs down. They were eventually ejected by police.
LVGP, in a statement, said it had “made the difficult decision to close the fan zones” ahead of FP2.
If that was the response from a few strugglers, imagine the feelings of those who had paid top dollar, enjoying fine dining and fine wines in the proliferation of hospitality suites, to witness just eight minutes of action.
The question to be asked now is whether they will be reimbursed. They certainly have a case, one that LVGP CEO Renee Wilm will be required to answer.
Questions, too, will be asked of the FIA as to how it missed the offending drain cover during its inspection even if, as suggested, we are talking about mere millimetres. Forget inches, though, because those millimetres were all F1 was away from a potential disaster with either Sainz or Ocon
F1 and the FIA now have two days to restore the sport’s tarnished reputation in the eyes of the American public that had finally grown to love the sport after all these years. That may take some doing.
