Chaos Strikes at Las Vegas Grand Prix: Red Flags and Manhole Madness Disrupt Practice!
The glittering lights of Las Vegas may promise excitement, but Thursday night’s practice session for the highly anticipated Las Vegas Grand Prix turned into a nightmare as red flags and manhole cover issues wreaked havoc for teams and drivers alike. For the second time in three years, concerns over loose road furniture brought the session to a screeching halt, leaving fans and competitors frustrated and anxious.
With just 20 minutes remaining on the clock, a watchful marshal spotted a potential hazard—a loose manhole cover—prompting race officials to swiftly red flag the session. This precautionary move was essential to prevent a repeat of last year’s catastrophic incident, where Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari was left in ruins by a similar mishap. As the tension mounted, teams were gearing up for critical qualifying simulations, only to be blindsided by the sudden interruption.
The late-session chaos escalated further when Charles Leclerc found himself sidelined due to a gearbox issue, forcing him off the track and into a run-off area during his warmup lap. The tumultuous atmosphere peaked once again as the red flag was raised yet again, leaving drivers scrambling and preventing any of them from setting competitive lap times. The uncertainty loomed large as teams headed into Friday’s session without a clear gauge of their performance.
Amidst the turmoil, Lando Norris emerged as the unofficial fastest driver of the evening, clocking in at 1:33.602, just ahead of Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and Ferrari’s Leclerc. However, fans must take these results with a grain of salt, as many drivers barely had a chance to complete a single flying lap. Sky Sports commentator David Croft encapsulated the sentiment perfectly, declaring, “This has been a very, very frustrating last 15 or 20 minutes of the session.”
As we look ahead to the rest of the weekend, all eyes will be on whether the circuit can overcome these glaring issues and deliver a thrilling race. The reigning world champion, Max Verstappen, is undoubtedly one to watch, as he looks to assert his dominance once again on the track.
Practice resumes in Las Vegas on Friday, November 21, at 4:30 PM local time (12:30 AM on Saturday, November 22, BST). Fans and teams alike are left hoping that the unpredictable drama of Thursday night will be a thing of the past as they prepare for what promises to be a thrilling showdown on the Strip. Get ready for the roar of engines and the clash of titans—this Grand Prix is shaping up to be one for the history books!








