AsΓ se vio desde las gradas lo ocurrido con el auto de Sainz y la alcantarillaβ¦ π― #LasVegasGP
Carlos Sainz joked as he reflected on the incident that put him out of contention for the podium at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Scuderia Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz wasn't particularly lucky during the inaugural edition of the Las Vegas Grand Prix last year (2023).
Ferrari made a great step forward towards the end of the season and had a real shot at fighting not only for the podium in Las Vegas but also for the victory.
However, Sainz was denied this opportunity due to a bizarre reason. The Las Vegas Strip Circuit wasn't properly prepared for F1 cars, and when the 30-year-old driver drove over a loose manhole cover, it destroyed the floor of his car along with the power unit.
Consequently, Ferrair had to change critical components (outside of the allocation) on the Spaniard's car, and he received a ten-place grid penalty for the start of the Grand Prix race through no fault of his own.
Reflecting on everything that happened ahead of the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix, which takes place on 21-24 November, the Spaniard told Marca:
"Does Vegas owe me one? Yes, that's a good point, a good way of looking at it."
"I saw a joke on social media that they named the straight after me where everything happened. But it's not really true. They probably should have done that. Nah, I'm joking."
After qualifying in P2, Sainz had to start from P12, which was still manageable, but then another unlucky thing happened. Just hours before the race, one of the cars used for the parade leaked oil on the inside line into turn number one.
This went unnoticed until the race began, but it resulted in carnage as a number of drivers, including Carlos Sainz, were locked up as a consequence.
The Ferrari driver broke his front wing and had to change it. As the race restarted, he had to start from P17, and ultimately, he finished in P6. He added:
"Hopefully, [we claim] a better result. We could have won in Vegas last year. I think [Leclerc] could have won the race, too."
"Obviously, I was unfairly penalised for something that wasnβt our fault and it probably cost us in the constructorsβ championship, as well. So, hopefully. Vegas has something good in store for us"
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