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Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur was left fuming after a manhole cover damaged Carlos Sainz's SF-23 during the first practice race for the Las Vegas GP.
Less than 10 minutes into the first practice session of the weekend, Carlos Sainz crashed into the concrete frame of a manhole cover at the Las Vegas Street Circuit. The Spaniard suffered severe damage to his SF-23, including damages to the floor, power unit, chassis, and seat.
A red flag followed, resulting in delays in both practice sessions on Thursday. The team had to change the chassis and other damaged units from Sainz's car, and Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur was clearly unhappy with the incident.
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Speaking to the media following the practice sessions, Vasseur said (via autosport):
"We had a very tough one. This will cost us a fortune. We f*cked up the session for Carlos [Sainz]. We won't be part of the FP2 for sure, we have to change the chassis."
Elaborating on the damages suffered by Ferrari following the incident, he said:
"The situation is that we damaged completely the monocoque, the engine, the battery. And I think it's just unacceptable. Okay, the show is the show and everything is going well but I think it is just unacceptable for F1 today."
Ferrari boss does not want to mix the 'show' and the 'sporting side' of Las Vegas GP
Frederic Vasseur was questioned about the reliability of the safety measures at the Las Vegas GP and the showbiz surrounding the event. He drew a clear line, stating:
"We don't have to mix everything. I think that the show is mega and I'm very happy with what Liberty [Media] did around the race. And I think it's a huge step forward for F1."
He added:
"We have to separate what is the show and the sporting side, and the show is mega. But it's not because we are doing this that you don't have to do the job on the sporting side."
Despite Ferrari's petition to prevent their driver from being penalized, Carlos Sainz Jr was handed a 10-place grid penalty following the incident during the practice race at the Las Vegas Street Circuit (under Article 28.3 of the Sporting Regulations).
