FIA issues official statement after track issue scrubs first Las Vegas Grand Prix practice. FIA confirm concrete frame on manhole cover is the issue.

Less than 21 minutes into the Thursday night session, the inaugural Formula One practice for the Las Vegas Grand Prix came to a halt when Carlos Sainz Jr. ran his SF-23 single-seater over a manhole cover on the track. The FIA later clarified that the Spaniard hit the concrete frame surrounding the manhole cover, prompting the governing body to initiate an inspection of all manhole covers on the course.

Here is the official statement issueed by the FIA on this topic:

“Following inspection, it was the concrete frame around a manhole cover that has failed. We now need to check all of the other manhole covers which will take some time. 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.”

A second practice is scheduled for midnight.

Around nine minutes into the practice on the street course along the iconic Strip, Carlos Sainz seemed to run over the manhole cover, causing the Ferrari SF-23 car to bottom out and potentially damaging his engine.

Carlos Sainz had already exited his car and was walking back to the garage when the FIA ventured onto the track for an inspection. Although the session did not resume, it took approximately 11 more minutes for the FIA to officially cancel it.

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The 3.85-mile (6.2-kilometer) street circuit winds through a significant portion of the Strip, passing by various Las Vegas landmarks in its 17-turn layout. Due to the course being open to traffic during the day, the FIA couldn’t inspect and approve the track for racing until early Thursday morning after the course had been closed overnight.

Before the session was called off, Esteban Ocon also encountered an issue and seemingly ran over an object, resulting in significant damage to the chassis of his Alpine. Ocon mentioned that as he passed Sainz on the track, he believed he hit the dislodged cover.