Max Verstappen has been very vocal about all the things he feels are wrong about the Las Vegas GP. Recently, the sport had a disastrous FP1 session because the workers never welded the potholes shut on the Vegas Strip. This led to Carlos Sainz’s car getting damaged and FP2 being delayed. When the second Free Practice session was resumed, it went on without a single fan in attendance. Max Verstappen gave his thoughts on the terrible mismanagement by the Las Vegas GP organizers.
The FP sessions on Thursday ahead of the Las Vegas GP turned out to be a huge disaster. As the fans filed in to take their seats at the grandstands to watch their favorite racers take to an entirely new racing circuit built on the famous Vegas Strip, the problems began almost instantly.
9 minutes into FP1, Ferrari racer Carlos Sainz managed to go headfast into a manhole cover with his SF-23. This led to the rest of FP1 being called off, and the second session was delayed too. At 1:30 AM in the morning, when the drivers got ready for the second round, the FIA announced they would not admit the audience to watch FP2.
The people at the helm of the Formula 1 race in Las Vegas simply stopped the audience from attending FP2 and released a statement announcing that they would reimburse the fans with $200 gift coupons for their merchandise without any proper apology.
Verstappen voiced his opinions on the matter, and they reflected what almost every fan was thinking. He said, “Then they make money from it here too. Awesome! If I were a fan, I would tear the whole place down.”
Max says he would tear the whole place down if he was a fan and received the $200 voucher as a compensation
"Then they make money from it here too. Awesome! If I were a fan, I would tear the whole place down. This can't be true, can it?"
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) November 18, 2023
Max Verstappen has been unimpressed on more than one occasion due to the handling of the Las Vegas GP
The Las Vegas GP is the FIA’s newest attempt at helping Formula 1 capture the United States market. But the race has not sat well with those who love the conventional Grands Prix, where racing trumps all other forms of entertainment. Max Verstappen has already said he felt like a clown while standing alongside Sergio Perez at the opening ceremony of the Vegas race.
Max Verstappen even gave some animated reactions to Carlos Sainz being penalized for changing his car parts. This is because Sainz’s SF-23 sustained damages due to the manholes which were left unattended by the workers who constructed the 3.8 mile-long circuit on the Vegas Strip. Thus, technically, it is the organizers’ fault for leaving the manhole covers unwelded, and Max was not afraid to point that out.
“It’s harsh for Carlos, and in this political environment then everyone thinks of themselves.”
"The rules have to change for that!" 💬
Max Verstappen believes the 10-place grid penalty Carlos Sainz received in Las Vegas was 'very harsh' 👇 pic.twitter.com/ZpWq0h4OHh
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 18, 2023
Max Verstappen’s weekend in Las Vegas has been less than impressive, considering his stellar records this season. The racer was down in P4 at FP1, and his position fell to P6 at FP2. In the third practice round, right ahead of Qualifying, Max Verstappen got bested by Logan Sargeant and could only go up till P4. The Dutchman did improve in the Qualis and has guaranteed himself a front row start after Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
