Less than ten minutes into the first practice session, the Las Vegas Grand Prix has confirmed that it was canceled due to a single water valve cover failing.
In the last sector, Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari skidded to a stop when he touched a water valve cover, seriously damaging his SF-23.
The weekend’s first practice session was originally marked as yellow, and it was soon turned into a red flag before it was announced that the session would not continue at all due to concerns about track safety.
And now the Las Vegas Grand Prix has released an official statement outlining the problem and giving a status report on the ongoing efforts to fix the damage.
“One water valve cover on the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit failed during the first practice session, according to an inspection conducted by Formula 1 and the FIA,” the statement stated.
“The issue is being actively reviewed and addressed by the circuit engineering teams from the FIA, F1, and local communities. As soon as possible, we will provide you an update on the race schedule.
“We’re still committed to giving our customers an amazing experience, so all tickets, food and drink, and entertainment options will be honored during this review period.
“We value the cooperation of the pertinent event operations personnel in ensuring a secure and well-organized exit for guests, should they so desire.”
