Las Vegas Grand Prix Preview: Watch Out For Those Manhole Covers

We're just one day away from the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which could go one of two ways. It will either be a spectacular race, or it could be a giant mess. Last week, CarBuzz reported that hotel and ticket sales were not as good as F1's owners (Liberty Media) would have liked, but this week it's a whole different ball game.

The plane to Vegas was stacked, and United even offered me a voucher to fly later. Let's hope this indicates that more people are on the way.

This is not the first Las Vegas Grand Prix. In 1982, the sport took over a parking lot, but this time, it's a full circuit built around some of Vegas' most famous landmarks. It's 3.82 miles long and has three straight and 17 corners.

It's a high-speed street circuit, and as we know, that doesn't always work out. The last time F1 introduced a high-speed street track, it was absolute chaos. Who can forget Max Verstappen brake-checking Sir Lewis Hamilton?

There have been several significant changes since that chaotic race in 2021. We've moved to the era of ground-effect cars riding on 18-inch rubber. Oddly, it's the size of the rim that changed the most. Compared to the previous tires, Pirelli's P Zero F1 tires have a lower sidewall that will flex less. This has less of an impact on the overall aerodynamics, which means closer racing. Closer racing is not something they had in 2021, potentially leading to more chaos.

Remember the Brazilian Grand Prix just two weeks ago? A total of 20 cars mere inches apart heading into the first corner...

FP1 already provided some intense moments. Minutes into the first session, the cars were struggling to find grip. And then Carlos Sainz ripped a manhole cover straight out of the ground. It damaged the floor of his car and several power unit components. The FIA gave the teams more parts to play with this year, but obviously, everyone is running on empty as this is the season's penultimate race.

Even under these circumstances, Sainz received a 10-place grid penalty for replacing parts. Ferrari tried to get this penalty thrown out since it was not its fault, but the application was brushed aside.

We find this ridiculous. This is not F1's first-ever street race. While building