Las Vegas Grand Prix: First practice canceled after Carlos Sainz's car damaged by drain cover

Sainz now faces a 10-place grid penalty in Sunday's race

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Formula 1 canceled the first practice session for the Las Vegas Grand Prix less than 20 minutes after the start.

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The session was stopped after Carlos Sainz pulled a drain cover from the track surface, causing his car to be hit so hard that it was forced to stop. The session was red-flagged after Sainz stopped on the track and the FIA said it would not be restarted as Sainz's car was being taken back to the garage.

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The FIA later issued a statement explaining that the concrete frame around the drain cover had failed and that it would have to investigate all other covers on the track:

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It's an inauspicious start to a race weekend following its much-hyped arrival on the F1 calendar.

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The drain cover came up as Saenz was driving down Las Vegas Boulevard.

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The practice TV feed showed significant damage to the floor of Sainz's car

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and other drivers reportedly also had problems with the drain covers. Before you could hear the impact on his car, Sainz was off the gas for the yellow flag.

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