Diez: F1 in Las Vegas has slow start, strong finish

The inaugural Las Vegas Formula 1 race got off to a shaky start last Thursday night, as the first practice session was halted after just eight minutes and canceled. The reason was Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari hitting a loose water valve cover and coming to a halt on track. Severe damage to his car and the Alpine of Esteban Ocon resulted in both teams having to replace the chassis and the second practice session delayed by over two hours while crews worked to secure the 30 manhole covers lining the track. Adding insult to injury, fans were told to leave before the second session got underway, resulting in some very unhappy fans who have filed a class-action lawsuit against the Las Vegas Grand Prix and Liberty Entertainment. Even worse, Sainz was assessed a 10-grid spot penalty for replacing a broken battery unit and Ferrari’s appeal was denied. Talking about the unfairness of the situation, SKY Sports commentator Martin Brundle opined that of the 178 pages of F1 technical regulations, there’s not one word of common sense. All in all, a big black eye for Formula 1 in the organization’s first race as a promoter.

•••

Fortunately, things improved on Saturday, and the third practice session and qualifying went off without a significant issue. The race itself on Sunday was also surprisingly clean, with only two safety car periods — about two fewer than I had predicted. Max Verstappen won his 18th race this year, further cementing his 2023 season in the record books. But his win was not without drama, featuring two incidents with other competitors. Max forced Ferrari driver and polesitter Charles Leclerc off the track on the first lap, garnering a five-second penalty, served on his first pit stop. He worked his way back through the pack, colliding with Mercedes’ George Russell while passing for third place and damaging his front wing. This time it was Russell getting the five-second penalty, dropping him from fourth to eighth in the final race standings. There was excellent racing all through the pack. One if the highlights was Leclerc’s last-lap pass on Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez for second, denying Red-Bull a 1-2 finish. Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton pitted early with a puncture after a collision with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and dropped to the back of the field before working his way back to seventh at the checker.

•••

Perez’s third-place finish locked him solidly into second place in the drivers’ championship standings over Hamilton. Further back is a four-way battle for fourth through seventh, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso tied at 200 points, McLaren’s Lando Norris at 195, and Leclerc with 188. The battle for the constructors’ title also tightened up considerably. Ferrari’s 2-6 finish compared to Mercedes’ 7-8 result at Las Vegas narrowed the gap to a mere four points, 392 to 388, going into the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi this weekend. The battle for fourth and fifth in the constructors’ title battle is also close with only 11 points separating McLaren from Aston Martin.

•••

The Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will air next Sunday on ESPN at 5 a.m. ESPN2 will broadcast today’s qualifying session beginning at 6 a.m.

•••

Finally, we bid farewell to one of NASCAR’s TV broadcast giants. Ken Squier passed away on November 15 at his Waterbury, Vt., home. Squier was instrumental in the national growth of NASCAR on both TNN and CBS. Jim France, NASCAR’s chairman and CEO, said, “Though he never sat behind the wheel of a stock car, Ken Squier contributed to the growth of NASCAR as much as any competitor.”