The F1 Tour has returned to Las Vegas after more than 40 years, a real cause for celebration, tickets were snatched up well in advance, and there was a lot of excitement among the organizers, spectators and drivers for the joyous event. These feelings were quickly replaced by disappointment, embarrassment, and a lot of anger.
Yesterday (Friday), 8 minutes after it began, the first training session for drivers on the new track was stopped. Why? The Spanish driver of the Ferrari team, Carlos Sainz, collided with an improperly sealed sewer lid at a breakneck speed of 350 km/h. The collision, which was due to the negligence of the competition organizers. caused particularly significant damage to the Spaniard's car. But that's where the mess begins.
The moment Carlos Sainz hit the manhole cover😱😱#LasVegasGP #f1lasvegas #CarlosSainz #LasVegasGrandPrix pic.twitter.com/InRv6dUPP3
— Yusuf Tanşu (@YusufTanu2) November 17, 2023
The training itself was halted, and the second training session, which was delayed by two hours and began at 2:00 a.m., was held without an audience due to staffing shortages. As compensation to a crowd that paid its best money and got to see only 8 minutes of motorsports, the organizers offered a voucher to buy merchandise.
Following the collision, Ferrari had to replace many parts of Sainz's car, which under the constitution carries a penalty for dropping points in the race itself. The Constitution, embarrassingly, does not include a clause that excludes substitution as a result of "force majeure." Therefore, the judges had to punish the driver, and despite finishing second, Sainz would only jump from 12th place in the race itself.
The broken car parts, photo: AFP
In response, the Spanish driver said: "I can't say too much, I'm still so angry, as everyone saw, there was a safety problem on the track. This problem broke my car and on top of that I got a penalty from the FIA. I didn't do anything wrong! Honestly, I would expect a slightly more appropriate solution from the judges. But I have to swallow the bitter pill that I have to go back ten places. I haven't calmed down, I'm in a bad mood, even if I'm hiding it."
Sainz's opponents also sided with him: "The rules need to change," said world champion Max Verstappen. "It's an excessive sanction, it's something that needs to be changed," joined Fernando Alonso, Sainz's veteran driver and compatriot.
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Science. Angry, Photo: Reuters
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