P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur has explained his displeasure at Carlos Sainz’s incident and the FIA’s initial response to the water valve cover strike.
Frederic Vasseur expressed his dissatisfaction with the delay in red-flagging the Las Vegas Grand Prix practice session after Carlos Sainz’s drain strike. The incident occurred when Sainz’s Ferrari hit a dislodged water valve cover on the Strip, causing the concrete frame to fail. Initially, a yellow flag was shown before the red flags were deployed, and the session was abandoned for track inspections. This led to a two-and-a-half hour delay for the second session while repairs took place. Although the rest of the weekend proceeded without further issues, Vasseur felt that the decision to delay was unfair and wished to discuss the circumstances. Additionally, Ferrari’s request to waive Sainz’s grid penalty due to force majeure was denied as the regulations did not allow for it. Vasseur acknowledged the complexity of the situation, emphasizing that there is no performance gain in the battery compared to other components.
