A poorly secured manhole sent the Circus into a tailspin during the FP1 of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Fully hit by Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and other cars, ended the session early, putting the FIA and F1 in a rather awkward position. Las Vegas, a stage strongly supported by the top of the category, ended up in the eye of the storm after an oversight that jeopardized the safety of the riders who for the first time raced on the famous streets of the city of a thousand lights. This accident, as well as having raised controversy and doubts on the topic of safety caused significant damage to the Spanish driver's car. Damage that Ferrari is now quantifying, and which reaches exorbitant figures.
The damage and the insult
The impact was devastating but fortunately did not affect the pilot's health. This is the only consolation for the team who found themselves having to work hard to get the Spaniard back on track for the second free practice session. Although it was clear to everyone who was responsible, the FIA certainly did not receive any apologies, on the contrary. Sainz was further penalized, as he was forced to replace components on his SF-23. This resulted in him being given a ten place grid penalty. Which actually compromised an excellent weekend. Ferrari had appealed to the Federation, to at least avoid the penalty since it was an accident caused by an external element. Concession that did not arrive.
The Ferrari Team Principal, Frederick Vasseur, he expressed his anger, defining the situation 'simply unacceptable'. Vasseur underlined the lack of apologies and the damage not only moral but also economic, with the expenses that the team now has to face. A damage that, with the Budget Cap, weighs even more.
The amount of damage is approximately 2 million
As reported ICorriere dello Sport the damage count highlights the high cost of repairs involving different parts of the car. “Heavy damage affected the chassis, the combustion engine, the oil pump, the battery, the control unit. A loss not only from a technical point of view, but also from a sporting and economic point of view, considering that the bill will not be less than two million euros, strategic figure under budget cap regime".
What happened in Las Vegas raises questions about the financial implications for the teams, considering that the current regulations do not provide exemptions for such incidents. We are now at the end of the season, therefore the F1 Commission will soon have to address this regulatory inconsistency – as well as others that have come to light during the season – to prevent such events from affecting the teams on an economic and sporting level, especially when the latter are not responsible for the critical situations, as happened to Sainz and Ferrari on the weekend of Las Vegas.
