FP1: First practice session in Las Vegas brought to early end amid red flags

The opening practice session for the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend was brought to an early end after the red flags were thrown following a stoppage for Carlos Sainz.

Less than 10 minutes into the hour, Sainz stopped out on track at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit. Onboard footage showed a message reading ‘Stop the Car’ had appeared on the Spaniard’s dashboard.

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While the marshals worked to remove the stricken Ferrari, the clock continued to tick down. But it was then announced that the session would not be resumed, with the FIA confirming that they were looking at an issue with a drain cover on the track.

Sainz’s team mate, Charles Leclerc, had provisionally set the fastest time before the stoppage with a lap of 1m 40.909s.

Nico Hulkenberg had ended up in second, with Kevin Magnussen placing third and Max Verstappen following in fourth as the drivers gained their first experience of the new 6.201km track.

Esteban Ocon claimed fifth, although Alpine confirmed following FP1 that the Frenchman would undergo a chassis change due to damage from a suspected drain cover on track.

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The teams will now ready themselves for the second practice session, which kicks off at midnight local time.