By Rory Carroll
LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – Charles Leclerc posted the fastest time in the brief first practice session at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Thursday, which included just eight minutes of racing before it was halted for track repairs.
In the first test of the course along the transformed Strip, a faulty manhole cover damaged Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari. The car ultimately left the course on the back of a truck but the Spaniard appeared uninjured.
Alpine said Esteban Ocon’s chassis would also need to be repairs due to damage from the manhole cover.
Leclerc led the time sheet with a lap of 1:40.909, followed by the Haas duo of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen.
FIA said it would need to check all of the other manhole covers along the 3.8-mile course, a potentially time consuming process.
Fans packed into the stands to see the highly anticipated track in action during its debut were disappointed as was American Logan Sargeant, the only driver who did not make it out on the track.
“Well… that was fun,” the Williams driver posted on X.
A second practice session is scheduled to take place later in the night on Thursday and conclude early Friday morning.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; editing by Miral Fahmy)
