Formula 1 Racing

2023 F1 Las Vegas GP results: Leclerc fastest in practice

Marshals load the damaged car of Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23, onto a truck

Leclerc set the early pace in Free Practice 1, which was curtailed after only eight minutes due to a water valve cover working loose and smashing the bottom of team-mate Carlos Sainzโ€™s car.

He also paced FP2 with a fastest time of 1m35.265s, after a lengthy delay while repairs were conducted to the track.

Las Vegas GP FP1 results: Leclerc fastest from Hulkenberg

What happened in Las Vegas GP Free Practice 1?

The hugely anticipated first running on the new 3.9-mile street track didnโ€™t last long. The water valve cover issue that sidelined Sainzโ€™s car brought the session to an early end after just eight minutes.

Sainz’s Ferrari crawled to a halt between the Bellagio and Paris hotels on the Strip, his onboard camera showing that his car had been rendered immobile by an impact from something on the track.

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Marshals load the damaged car of Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23, onto a truck

The Ferrariโ€™s chassis, floor and battery were damaged in the impact, as the concrete frame of the water valve cover was ripped up by the force of F1 cars running over it at high speed. The Alpine of Esteban Ocon was also damaged, as it was his car that flicked up the cover.

Valtteri Bottas had set the first timed lap of the track, with a 1m50.227s, but the benchmark swiftly fell with Leclerc working down to 1m40.909s before the red flag.

The Haas duo of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen were next up, ahead of Red Bullโ€™s Max Verstappen and Ocon.

Las Vegas GP FP2 results: Leclerc fastest from Sainz

Claย  ย Nยบย  ย Driverย  ย Car / Engineย  ย Timeย  ย Delayย  ย Lapsย 
1ย  16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1’35.265 ย  39
2ย  55 Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari 1’35.782 0.517 39
3ย  14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1’35.793 0.528 38
4ย  11 Sergio Perez Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1’36.085 0.820 36
5ย  77 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1’36.129 0.864 36
6ย  1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1’36.183 0.918 37
7ย  27 Nico Hulkenberg Haas/Ferrari 1’36.489 1.224 33
8ย  18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1’36.496 1.231 41
9ย  44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1’36.663 1.398 42
10ย  23 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1’36.688 1.423 42
11ย  4 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1’36.864 1.599 33
12ย  63 George Russell Mercedes 1’36.890 1.625 37
13ย  20 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 1’36.917 1.652 37
14ย  81 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1’36.987 1.722 35
15ย  10 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1’37.134

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