This is the terrifying moment Carlos Sainz's car was mangled by a loose manhole cover ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The first practice session was abruptly halted after Sainz and Esteban Ocon both struck the hole, causing significant damage to their cars. Sainz was the first to go over it, and CCTV footage from the track shows how the collision engulfed his Ferrari in a cloud of sparks.
The FIA later released a statement saying they'd be conducting safety checks on the track to ensure that the incident wouldn't be repeated. As such, the second practice session, which was due to start around midnight local time (8am UK time), was delayed.
READ MORE: F1 abandon first Las Vegas session after nine minutes due to manhole cover
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F1 fans hit out at organisers, with many insisting Sainz was lucky to escape unhurt after footage of him hitting the manhole cover did the rounds on social media. One wrote: "Holy hell that could've been a lot more serious."
Another said: "Whole weekend is going to be a complete farce. What happens when you prioritise the show over the sport." A third fumed: "This is such a failure on the organisers part. They seem to have figured out how to price everything while the most basic things like surface and temperatures have been completely overlooked. Had the focus been on the track rather than bringing revenue this wouldn’t have happened."
Sum up the Las Vegas race organisers in one word in the comments section below.
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Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur described the incident as "unacceptable" and said the damage to Sainz's car would "cost a fortune".
"The show is mega and I am very happy with what [F1 owners] Liberty [Media] did around the race but we have to separate the show and the sporting side," he said during the team principal's press conference after the incident.
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"The show is mega. The opening ceremony was something mega in F1 but it is not because you are doing this that you don't have to do the job on the sporting side. You can do the show and do a good job on the sporting side."
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