P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Carlos Sainz’s Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend has got off to a difficult start after he sustained damage from a loose drain cover minutes into the first free practice session.
Carlos Sainz has been called to the Stewards’ office due to changes made to his car after FP1 in Las Vegas. The first practice session was cancelled after Sainz and Esteban Ocon’s cars were damaged by a loose drain cover on the track. The FIA has announced that FP2 will start at 02:00 local time after a two-hour delay, with the session extended to 90 minutes. Ferrari had to replace several components on Sainz’s car, including the chassis, Internal Combustion Engine, Energy Store, and Control Electronics, due to the damage in FP1. While normally this would result in a grid penalty, Ferrari may argue against it due to the track conditions being the cause of the damage. Alpine has confirmed that Ocon’s car is ready for FP2, while Sainz’s car is still undergoing repairs.
