Last week, as Formula One teams arrived in Las Vegas for that city’s first grand prix in 41 years, I questioned in these pages whether the series’ nine-figure gamble on the Vegas race could go bust. Once cars finally got on track Thursday evening, we awaited an answer.
It took less than 10 minutes to get one.
The debacle saw dangerous safety problems, hours of delays, and a farcical “practice” run in the middle of the night — without any fans present. It added to the spate of negative themes and stories leading up to the race, from months of traffic delays and hassles for locals, to ridiculously expensive prices, to brokers dumping tickets (which had not sold out) due to lack of demand.
The race itself, held late Saturday night and won by Max Verstappen, contained some thrilling moments, as Verstappen had to come from behind to gain his record 18th win of the season. But events earlier in the weekend could mar the Las Vegas Grand Prix for years to come.
Unsafe Conditions
Less than 10 minutes into Thursday night’s first practice, officials had to red-flag the session, halting all on-track activity. Two separate cars — the Alpine driven by Esteban Ocon and the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz — ran over a drain cover on Las Vegas Boulevard (aka “the Strip”), which constitutes the backstretch of the grand prix circuit.
Sainz’s crash, which came at speeds approaching 200 mph, caused a tremendous amount of damage to his car
