FIA re-inspects and welds more manhole covers overnight in Las Vegas

The FIA carried out overnight works on a number of manhole assemblies at the Las Vegas Grand Prix to provide added protection following delays at the end of FP2.

Red flags flew during the final quarter of the second practice session on Thursday night when a marshal reported a loose manhole cover near Turn 17. Following inspection from race control, the session resumed but was then halted again as personnel remained in the area and felt the cover continued to move.

Overnight the FIA inspected the manhole cover that was causing concern and managed to implement a fix to a defect, but also took preventative measures with another 14 manholes that could be subject to the forces of cars at racing speeds at regular intervals.

“The manhole that prompted the red flag in FP2 was disassembled and further inspected,” an FIA statement read. “A specific fault was found with the closure mechanism, and it was possible to address this issue overnight.

“In addition to the work conducted to address the issue identified, the cover of this manhole has been welded to provide further mitigation.

“All other manhole covers on or close to the racing line were reinspected overnight, and additional welding was applied to a further 14 manhole assemblies.”

It is the second time in three races that Las Vegas has seen issues with the securing of different covers on the track, with a drain cover being pulled up by cars passing over it during FP1 in 2023, leading to severe delays.

On that occasion, Carlos Sainz’s car was heavily damaged after hitting the loose cover, but Thursday’s delay was of a far more proactive nature as race control identified a potential issue prior to any incident involving a car.