Fans were ejected from the grandstands by local police forces
minutes before FP2 started at 2:30am local time in Las Vegas. The
session suffered a delayed start due to a drain cover issue that
plagued FP1 and saw both Carlos Sainz and Esteban Ocon’s cars
significantly damaged. Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur
initially said it would be impossible for Sainz to make it back out
for FP2, but the delay worked in their favour and they managed to
get him out as did Alpine for Ocon. But once track action did
resume, fans were unable to watch it from the grandstands as
workers had already left the track premises. It is understood that
the F1 Paddock Club also stopped its hospitality, while the Las
Vegas Grand Prix promoter issued a statement on social media
claiming fan areas were being closed. It read: “Due to logistical
considerations for our fans and our staff, we have made the
determination that we will be closing all Las Vegas Grand Prix fan
areas at 1:30am PT. We look forward to welcoming fans back later
today for exciting F73 and qualifying sessions.” As it was deemed
unsafe for spectators to be in the stands without stewards, local
authorities removed them from their seats – some of which cost
upwards of $800 for the weekend. FP2 got underway and the full 90
minutes went uninterrupted, with Charles Leclerc leading the
timesheets from teammate Sainz.
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