Ferrari Team Principal Clearly Not Happy Amid Sainz Incident: 'F***d Up The Session'

Friday, 17 November 2023 at 13:00

Scuderia Ferrari F1 team principal Frederic Vasseur showed his disappointment with the incident of Carlos Sainz in the FP1 session of the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Ferrari team was going to the weekend with high hopes as the lower-downforce nature of the Las Vegas Strip Circuit should suit the team's car.

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz mentioned that the circuit in Sin City should suit them more than the previous two or three tracks and compared the circuit layout to Monza or Marina Bay.

However, the Italian team will be set on the back foot going into the rest of the weekend after an unfortunate incident that put their Spanish driver out of the Free Practice Session One.

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Sainz was on a flying lap and nearing the last turn (17) of the Las Vegas Strip Circuit when his engine suddenly died. The Ferrari driver had to stop on the side of the track, and the session got red-flagged.

CCTV footage from the side of the track showed how the Spaniard ran over a loose drain causing huge outburst of sparks.

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This incident was not the fault of the Ferrari driver, but rather event organizers. Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur showed his disappointment when he told the media:

"We damaged completely the monocoque, the engine, the battery. I think it’s just unacceptable. It cost us a fortune. We f***d up the session for Carlos. We won’t be part of FP2 for sure. I think it’s just unacceptable for F1 today."

The Free Practice Session One was canceled following the incident, so all the drivers had less than 10 minutes of practice, and few of them did not complete a single flying lap.

Vasseur acknowledged he likes the show associated with the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend, but warned there has to be more attention dedicated to the sporting side so similar problems don't occur again.

"The show is mega and I'm really happy with what Liberty [Media] did around the race and I think it's a huge step forward for F1. We have to separate what is the show and the sporting side."