LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Thursday, the first practice session for the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix was canceled because of a concrete frame that "failed" for a drain cover.
About nine minutes into the session, the cover broke after Ferrari's Carlos Sainz ran over it.
An expert KTNV's Paulina Bucka spoke to Friday says this happened at previous Grand Prix races in recent years — at least 6 to 7 times before.
Chris Roode is a superintendent with J and J Asphalt, and while his company didn’t work on the circuit, he demonstrated how this could have happened.
"What I see in the video is, and from what I understand, he drives over it, and he’s only an inch off the ground, so it sucks up, and it makes his car jump as you see in the video, and then with all that speed and force it gets sucked up into the car," he said. "All the sparks you saw is the metal being dragged."
TRACK ISSUES: A manhole cover on the track brings an abrupt end to the first practice session of the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.https://t.co/zb9MbfyBzE
— KTNV | Channel 13 News Las Vegas (@KTNV) November 17, 2023
Roode says even every day, a loose valve can impact drivers. With enough speed and under the right conditions, the round disk can be dangerous for cars and your tires.
The county said, "The Las Vegas Grand Prix is addressing this issue as installing the valve covers was part of their track paving process to meet their requirements and specifications. The delay in re-opening the roads was not ideal, but circumstances on the track required this.”
