FIA take action at F1 Las Vegas GP after manhole disruption strikes again

Photo: © IMAGO

Las Vegas Grand Prix

FIA take action at Las Vegas GP after manhole disruption strikes again

Thursday's running was red flagged

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Saturday 22 November 2025 07:42

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Las Vegas Grand Prix officials have done some emergency work on the street circuit to avoid a repeat of Thursday night's red flagged practice session.

FP2 was halted with around 20 minutes to go when a track marshal noticed that a manhole cover appeared to be moving when cars passed over and near it, with memories of 2023 coming flooding back.

The first modern running of the Vegas race weekend saw Carlos Sainz's car badly damaged by a loose manhole cover on the track, which heavily disrupted the first day's practice as other covers around the track were welded down.

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The welding torches were back out this week, with the FIA confirming on Friday that the offending cover and a further 14 around the track were treated with 'additional welding'.

FIA confirm Las Vegas track fix

A statement released ahead of FP3 read: "The manhole that prompted the red flag in FP2 was disassembled and further inspected. A specific fault was found with the closure mechanism, and it was possible to address this issue overnight.

"In addition to the work conducted to address the issue identified, the cover of this manhole has been welded to provide further mitigation. All other manhole covers on or close to the racing line were reinspected overnight, and additional welding was applied to a further 14 manhole assemblies."

FP3 did indeed go ahead without any red flags, with the drama instead coming from a wet track after a day of on and off showers.

Drivers started out on intermediate tyres before switching over to slicks about halfway through the session. While there were a number of hairy moments, with Gabriel Bortoleto in particular possibly needing a change of race suit after a huge snap of oversteer, all 20 drivers kept their cars out of the wall heading into qualifying.

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