The FIA explained the situation with the hatch during the second practice.

The FIA explained the situation with the hatch during the second practice.

      The second free practice session for the Las Vegas Grand Prix was stopped twice with red flags because of a manhole cover in front of Turn 17. The FIA released a statement explaining the situation.

      "After a marshal reported a possibly loose manhole cover in front of Turn 17, race control was unable to confirm this information from the available camera recordings," the FIA said. "As a precaution, the session was suspended with red flags and race control personnel went to the scene to assess the situation.

      After the session resumed, some race control staff remained on site. They reported that the manhole cover continued to shift as cars went over it. As a result the session was stopped again with red flags. Further checks are being carried out."

      This is not the first time city manholes have caused problems on the Las Vegas circuit. In 2023 an opened manhole damaged the floor of Carlos Sainz's Ferrari. In addition to the floor, the impact broke the seat and damaged several power unit components. The team had to replace the battery on Sainz's car, and the driver received a 10-place grid penalty for that.

      Today there was no damage to the race cars.

Other articles

Ocon is feeling the pressure as Bearman spearheads Haas' efforts. Ocon is feeling the pressure as Bearman spearheads Haas' efforts. Formula 1 | Esteban Ocon is facing significant pressure at Haas, as the team is engaged in a valuable late-season battle for sixth position in the constructors' standings. Massa and FIA both proclaim victory in the 'crashgate' incident. Massa and FIA both proclaim victory in the 'crashgate' incident. Formula 1 | A state of confusion - along with conflicting assertions of victory - arose following the High Court in London’s decision regarding Felipe Massa's lawsuit concerning the 2008 'Crashgate' (…) Charles Leclerc has sought to alleviate concerns regarding his future with Ferrari, following team president John Elkann's recent comments urging the team to "talk less," which ignited considerable media speculation and rekindled rumors linking the Monegasque driver to Aston Martin for 2027. During a conversation in Las Vegas, Leclerc dismissed the surrounding drama, asserting that Elkann's remarks had been misinterpreted. "People's interpretations are out of my control, and I'm not interested in wasting my time on them," he stated. "John reaches out to me after every Grand Prix, and we discussed various topics, including what he intended to convey. His aim was to be constructive and motivate the team to enhance performance." Leclerc emphasized that the comments were not directed specifically at him. "The criticism wasn’t about the incidents in Brazil. It was more broad," he explained. "John expresses his thoughts openly. He has always been transparent with me, regardless of the circumstances. We both share a deep passion for Ferrari. His objective is to help us all perform at our best. I align with him on that." "John’s intentions were positive. He sought to energize everyone," Leclerc added. The 2025 season has seen him as Ferrari's standout performer, while speculation persists that Aston Martin, which is preparing a Newey-designed, Honda-powered vehicle, has reached out to his manager, Nicolas Todt, about future possibilities. When asked if Elkann’s tone bothered him, Leclerc again minimized the situation. "The best course of action is for me to focus on the track and give it my all. I’ve always done that and will keep doing so." Lewis Hamilton, whose arrival at Ferrari has drawn increased scrutiny due to underperformance, reacted defensively to Elkann's comments. "I know what John is planning, which is why I didn’t focus on the remark," Hamilton said. "We communicate several times a week. It's about uniting the team." However, he reacted strongly to the suggestion that he should "talk less." "I can't devote any more focus to my job than I already do," he responded. "I think about my work as I fall asleep and when I wake up—sometimes it's even in my dreams. Since joining Ferrari, I've spent more time at the factory than at any of my prior teams." Hamilton added, "I have a good relationship with John. We communicate regularly." Charles Leclerc has sought to alleviate concerns regarding his future with Ferrari, following team president John Elkann's recent comments urging the team to "talk less," which ignited considerable media speculation and rekindled rumors linking the Monegasque driver to Aston Martin for 2027. During a conversation in Las Vegas, Leclerc dismissed the surrounding drama, asserting that Elkann's remarks had been misinterpreted. "People's interpretations are out of my control, and I'm not interested in wasting my time on them," he stated. "John reaches out to me after every Grand Prix, and we discussed various topics, including what he intended to convey. His aim was to be constructive and motivate the team to enhance performance." Leclerc emphasized that the comments were not directed specifically at him. "The criticism wasn’t about the incidents in Brazil. It was more broad," he explained. "John expresses his thoughts openly. He has always been transparent with me, regardless of the circumstances. We both share a deep passion for Ferrari. His objective is to help us all perform at our best. I align with him on that." "John’s intentions were positive. He sought to energize everyone," Leclerc added. The 2025 season has seen him as Ferrari's standout performer, while speculation persists that Aston Martin, which is preparing a Newey-designed, Honda-powered vehicle, has reached out to his manager, Nicolas Todt, about future possibilities. When asked if Elkann’s tone bothered him, Leclerc again minimized the situation. "The best course of action is for me to focus on the track and give it my all. I’ve always done that and will keep doing so." Lewis Hamilton, whose arrival at Ferrari has drawn increased scrutiny due to underperformance, reacted defensively to Elkann's comments. "I know what John is planning, which is why I didn’t focus on the remark," Hamilton said. "We communicate several times a week. It's about uniting the team." However, he reacted strongly to the suggestion that he should "talk less." "I can't devote any more focus to my job than I already do," he responded. "I think about my work as I fall asleep and when I wake up—sometimes it's even in my dreams. Since joining Ferrari, I've spent more time at the factory than at any of my prior teams." Hamilton added, "I have a good relationship with John. We communicate regularly." Formula 1 | Max Verstappen has stated that he is open to the idea of changing his race number for 2026, now that the FIA has officially permitted mid-career alterations - but he acknowledges that his (…) F1 resolves legal disputes with Las Vegas businesses. F1 resolves legal disputes with Las Vegas businesses. Formula 1 | Various businesses in Las Vegas that had initiated lawsuits against Formula 1 due to losses incurred from the first two editions of the Grand Prix have now (…) They replaced the exhaust system on three cars. They replaced the exhaust system on three cars. The FIA confirmed the replacement of the exhaust system on the Racing Bulls and Sauber cars. Helmut Marko: Norris's time surprised me Helmut Marko: Norris's time surprised me Lando Norris topped the times in the second free practice session in Las Vegas. Norris’s advantage over Max Verstappen was half a second, and such a speed difference raised questions for Red Bull’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko.

The FIA explained the situation with the hatch during the second practice.

The second free practice session of the Las Vegas Grand Prix was twice interrupted by red flags because of a manhole cover in front of Turn 17. The FIA issued a statement explaining the situation.