The snake-bitten Las Vegas Grand Prix descended into further farce in the early hours of Friday morning as fans were sent home just an hour before the much-delayed second free practice session got underway. F1’s return to Vegas could hardly have been more disastrous as the first practice session was abandoned due to a loose drain cover. FP1 had only been going for eight minutes when Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari rolled to a stop on the ‘Sin City’ strip, having suffered substantial floor damage. LIVE! Follow the ongoing farce at the Las Vegas Grand Prix with our blog Driving at speeds of over 200mph, Sainz went over the loose drain cover before veering to the side and stopping the car after the impact, leaving Ferrari furious at the damage caused. To add salt to the wound, the Spaniard was then issued a 10-place grid penalty for making changes to his car following the loose drain incident. The issue caused huge delays to the schedule as frantic work ensued to ensure the track was safe, with FP2 – which was originally supposed to get underway at 12am local time (8am GMT) – delayed until 2am (10am GMT) and then pushed back a further 30 minutes. Yet it was only at 1.30am in Vegas that an announcement finally came over the tannoy, officially sending fans home from the venue due to “logistical considerations”, meaning FP2 resumed with the backdrop of eerily empty stands. Regarding the initial drain cover issue, F1’s governing body the FIA stated: “Following inspection, it was the concrete frame around a manhole cover that has failed. We now need to check all of the other manhole covers which will take some time. “We will be discussing with the local circuit engineering team about the length of time it will take to resolve and will update with any resultant changes to the schedule.” FP2 was extended to 90 minutes to allow teams more track time but the variety of issues seemed to only confirm the viewpoint of reigning world champion Max Verstappen, who launched a scathing rebuke of the event earlier this week – calling it “99 per cent show, 1 per cent sporting event” and “you just look like a clown” after being introduced to the crowd at a lavish opening ceremony on Wednesday. Read More Carlos Sainz handed ‘ridiculous’ penalty after drain cover crash at Las Vegas GP Jacques Villeneuve becomes first F1 driver to get married in paddock at Las Vegas GP Five times a manhole cover stopped F1 in its tracks

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Carlos Sainz has been handed a 10-place grid penalty after his Ferrari required repairs when striking a manhole cover during the chaotic first practice session of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Free practice 1 was halted after just nine minutes in Nevada in a farcical start to Formula 1’s return to Sin City, with second practice also delayed. Ferrari have been forced to put a new engine into Sainz’s vehicle and change the chassis after the incident. And stewards have levied a grid penalty against the Spanish driver, despite a request from the Italian team to not punish their installation of a new engine given the “highly unusual external circumstances”. LIVE! Follow updates from the Las Vegas Grand Prix Though conceding that Ferrari were not at fault, the race stewards said in a statement that they had to enforce “the regulations as they are written”, and thus punish Sainz. The statement continued: “Accordingly, the mandatory penalty specified under Article 28.3 of the Sporting Regulations must be applied. “The Stewards note that if they had the authority to grant a derogation in what they consider in this case to be mitigating, unusual and unfortunate circumstances, they would have done so, however the regulations do not allow such action.” The action is set to resume in front of empty stands with spectators sent home after FP2 was delayed. Speaking on Sky Sports, expert analyst Karun Chandhok described the punishment for a battery change caused by the circuit as “ridiculous”. “I don’t think there’s been precedent and therefore there could have been a dispensation signed by all the other teams.” Jenson Button, the 2009 world champion, added: “I know it’s a regulation but can not all the teams agree that they should get a pass?” Read More Las Vegas GP resumes in front of empty stands as fans sent home at 1:30am Watch: Sainz hits loose drain cover on Las Vegas track as F1 practice turns to chaos Toto Wolff launches furious defence of F1 after absurd start to Las Vegas GP

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Amazon has announced plans to start selling cars on its website, marking a major new product category for the online retail giant that made its start selling books. The e-commerce firm said on Thursday that it will launch vehicle sales in the US in the second half of 2024, allowing local car dealers to sell directly to customers on its site. In a joint announcement with South Korean car manufacturer Hyundai, the two companies said Amazon will begin by offering Hyundai vehicles. In turn, Hyundai will name Amazon’s cloud computing unit AWS as its preferred cloud provider and integrate its next-generation vehicles with Alexa, Amazon’s popular voice assistant. The idea, according to Amazon, is to have customers purchase a new car online and pick it up – or have it delivered – from their local dealer. Amazon did not say how many dealers would be participating in the program or if customers across the US would be able to make purchases. An Amazon spokesperson said the company would release more details as it builds the program, which is expected to begin with Hyundai franchised dealers and launch during the later part of next year. Currently, Amazon sells vehicle equipment online and offers a showroom for consumers who want to research different types of cars they may want to buy. But consumers can not directly purchase a vehicle on its platform. The announcement shows Amazon’s ambitions to grow its footprint through dealers in an industry that has strong lobbying forces and heavy state regulations. Nearly all states require manufacturers to sell their vehicles through dealerships to ensure the automakers don’t undercut their own network of franchised dealers. Despite its vision, Amazon might face challenges convincing consumers who might not feel comfortable making such a large purchase on its platform. In a statement, an Amazon spokesperson said customers are increasingly purchasing vehicles online and the company will provide a “range of solutions that add transparency” to the car buying process to help them make an informed decision. The latest move comes as Amazon faces another class action lawsuit over refunds on returned products, with plaintiffs accusing the retailer of failing to issue refunds for returned products. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Amazon’s hometown of Seattle this week. Additional reporting from agencies. Read More ‘We are broken’: Armenia looks to technology to rebuild Ring to preview security features with abuse charity to boost safety SpaceX is launching the world’s biggest rocket – follow live Battery breakthrough brings ‘unprecedented performance’ to next-gen cells

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