F1 Vegas: FIA Assures Circuit After Manhole Cover Problem

Loose Cover Forces Repairs at Las Vegas Grand Prix

The incident with the loose manhole cover that caused two red flags during the second practice of the Las Vegas Grand Prix has been resolved. To prevent a recurrence in qualifying or during Saturday’s race, the cover has been welded. A steward alerted the FIA race control about the apparent movement of the manhole cover before Turn 17 during the second practice session on Thursday. A red flag was shown to allow race control to inspect the site. Activity on the track resumed 15 minutes later, but was suspended again upon observing more movement in the manhole cover, and the session was finally exhausted under a red flag. The FIA conducted more inspections overnight and discovered a fault in the cover, opting to take additional precautions by welding it along with 14 other manhole covers around the circuit.

The manhole cover that caused the red flag in FP2 was removed and thoroughly inspected. A specific fault was found in the locking mechanism, and it was possible to fix this problem overnight.

FIA Statement

In addition to the work done to solve the identified problem, the manhole cover has been welded to provide greater mitigation. All other manhole covers on or near the race line were reinspected overnight, and additional welding was applied to 14 other covers.

The stoppages on Thursday evoked memories of a similar incident at the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix two years ago, when a smaller valve cover came loose on The Strip and damaged the underside of Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari. The 2023 incident caused the first practice session to end early and the second practice to be delayed until the early hours of the following day. Loose drain covers have occurred in several urban circuits in the past and tend to be caused by the forces generated by the underside of F1 cars, which are designed to generate low pressure and suck the car to the track. The final practice session for the Las Vegas Grand Prix begins at 4:30 p.m. local time, before qualifying takes place at 8 p.m.