Lando Norris took charge of the Las Vegas track during a second practice session that faced a 19-minute suspension due to a loose manhole cover issue. Norris, leading the championship by 24 points entering the final three rounds, outpaced Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli by a slim margin of 0.029 seconds on the Strip. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen, trailing by 49 points in the title race, settled for ninth place, with Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri finishing in 14th position.
The evening’s second session encountered two red flags due to a dislodged drain cover at the last corner. This incident triggered memories of a past event at the same location where a manhole cover came loose and struck Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari at a high speed. The session was initially halted at 8:38 pm local time as a precautionary measure after receiving reports of a possible loose manhole cover, prompting race control to investigate the situation.
Following a 16-minute delay, the pit-lane reopened for the final six minutes with the assurance from the FIA that all was under control. However, the session was interrupted again after just three minutes, as race control personnel observed the manhole cover moving when cars passed over it, leading to the session’s conclusion under red-flag conditions.
The Las Vegas race, exclusively promoted by F1’s American owners Liberty Media, is a unique event on the calendar. The television coverage managed by F1 did not show the affected part of the track during the delays, contributing to a disrupted timesheet with several top drivers failing to set competitive lap times on the soft tire compound.
As the season nears its conclusion in Las Vegas, with subsequent rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, McLaren, dominant throughout the year, faces challenges on the street circuit. Despite a modest performance in the opening session, Norris showcased promising speed in the disrupted final session, boosting his hopes of clinching his first world championship.