FIA take action ahead of Las Vegas qualifying after manhole drama

The FIA has confirmed it has worked to address issues with a manhole cover that twice interrupted Free Practice 2 in Las Vegas.

The red flag was thrown when an eagle-eyed marshal spotted a manhole cover moving in the latter stages of the session, which was inspected before running resumed, only to be quickly halted once more.

FIA confirms fix to red-flag inducing manhole issue

A loose manhole cover was detected on the approach to Turn 17 in the closing minutes of Free Practice 2.

While the FIA initially inspected and was satisfied it was okay for running to continue, staff remained on site and monitored once cars returned to the circuit.

At that point, it was reported that the manhole remained an issue and race control threw the red flag for the second time, ending the session.

There was a brief delay to the F1 Academy qualifying that followed Free Practice 2 with further works having taken place since.

A statement from the FIA has confirmed a fault was identified with the manhole in question, amid broader works around the circuit.

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“The manhole that prompted the red flag in FP2 was disassembled and further inspected,” the FIA stated.

“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 [sic], 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.”

It’s the second time in three years that the Las Vegas Grand Prix has endured issues with manhole covers.

In the event’s inaugural season, in 2023, running was stopped on safety grounds after just seven minutes of running in Free Practice 1.

Then, Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari was impacted by a loose manhole, which damaged his chassis and forced an energy store replacement that prompted a 10-place grid penalty.

There was no such impact this time around, with the issue having now been addressed in the hopes of remedying the fault ahead of Free Practice 3.

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