Danger in the first free practice session
The first free practice session for the 2023 Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix saw Carlos Sainz unintentionally become the protagonist: a few minutes after the green light, the Spanish Ferrari driver had to surrender following a high-speed impact against a manhole cover that lifted after the passage of Esteban Ocon’s Alpine. Fortunately for him, Carlos Sainz suffered no injuries, allowing him to get back on track for the second free practice session after a significant intervention by the mechanics, who managed to repair the damages in time.
Mechanics’ intervention and the penalty
Carlos Sainz then finished in second place just behind his teammate Charles Leclerc, showcasing the excellent pace of the SF-23 single-seater on the new city circuit. However, due to the battery replacement following the dangerous impact, the stewards still penalized the Spanish driver with a ten-position grid penalty for Sunday’s race, sparking the disappointment of the Ferrari driver and the team, who will bear a penalty for faults not of their own.
Carlos Sainz’s comments
An emotion underscored with great disappointment by the former McLaren at the end of the session: “Physically I am fine, I felt a big impact on my back and neck in the incident that all of you saw – he stated – unfortunately, it hit the chassis, the Power Unit, and especially the battery, but also the seat. The mechanics were heroic in fixing the car for FP2 and allowed me to complete it. We were able to recover lost time, and now we focus on tomorrow. It is clear that we are competitive on this very fast layout, and consequently, I am very optimistic. Unfortunately, the team informed me of the ten-position penalty for something for which I and the team are not at fault, and this has changed my mindset and expectations for the weekend. You can imagine how disappointed and incredulous I am about this situation, and so you won’t see me particularly happy these days. There will be overtaking opportunities, but as I said, I am disappointed and don’t want to talk much about the future because what happened today is a clear example of how this sport can still improve in many aspects: the FIA, the teams, and the rules that could clearly be applied as a force majeure to avoid giving me a penalty, but somehow people always find a way to worsen the situation for an individual, and I believe that in this case, it’s my turn to pay the price.” – the Ferrari man concluded at the end of Friday practice in Las Vegas.
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