Formula One had enormously high hopes for a grand foray into the New World, its Las Vegas Grand Prix set to be the sport’s showcase event of the year, long accompanied with no little hubris. Yet its opening day ended in public embarrassment that left senior figures fuming and the crowds, if anything even more disgruntled, streaming away having seen only eight minutes of action on the track.
What had already been a serious disappointment after the first practice session had been abandoned when Carlos Sainz’s car was badly damaged by a drain cover, descended into farce when, after a four-hour wait, fans were summarily told to leave the circuit at 1.30am on Friday morning and were unable to watch second practice at the sport’s first meeting in Las Vegas for 41 years.
