Las Vegas Grand Prix in chaos BEFORE race start after retro show cars leak OIL on track
THE Las Vegas Grand Prix hit a bump in the road before it even began when two show cars leaked oil on the track.
Prior to the race, all 20 drivers were chauffeured around the circuit in retro cars.
SplashLando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s retro show car leaked on track before the race[/caption]
GettyLewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez’s car also allegedly experienced a leak[/caption]
APStewards attempted to clear the spillage just an hour before the race[/caption]
However, just an hour before lights out, at least two of the cars began leaking oil onto the track – right at the front of the starting grid.
The 1950s-era convertible driving McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri appeared to be one of the vehicles with the issue.
A retro Mercedes-Benz coupe, which was carrying Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez around the track, also appeared to leak.
The incident resulted in a build-up of oil on the left side of the track.
Reports claim that Max Verstappen was subsequently left furious as the spillage occurred next to his starting position.
Stewards were seen covering the patch with a powder in an attempt to limit any possible damage.
However, fans were quick to blast organisers for yet another issue with the inaugural race weekend in Vegas.
One person tweeted: “Bro #LasVegasGP getting off to a terrible start and it hasn’t even started yet. How does a parade car spill oil on the start finish.”
Another added: “You couldn’t make this stuff up. It’s gone from the most hyped race of the calendar to the most problematic and cringe. What a mess. All I can do is facepalm.”
While a third wrote: “More issues for the #LasVegasGP Car for driver parade has dropped oil all on the track. What an absolute failure this has been.”
Discussing the potential consequences of the oil leak, Sky Sports F1 presenter Danica Patrick said: “That’s definitely unfortunate for those on the inside.
“This is going to be a loss of grip. This is very unfortunate. I don’t know what they’re going to be able to do about it.
“Are they going to be able to run cars over it before? Probably not. It’s a busy grid. This is an issue.”
Several cars appeared to be affected by the spill at the start of the race.
The likes of Hamilton, Carlos Sainz, Perez and Fernando Alonso all made contact as a result of the lack of grip on track.
A number of issues had already hampered the highly-anticipated Las Vegas GP.
There was a significant delay to the first practice session on Friday after Sainz drove over an unsealed manhole cover, causing significant damage to the floor of his car.
The session subsequently started at 2:30am local time and ended at 4am with no fans present.
Verstappen went on to win the action-packed race, with Charles Leclerc finishing second and Perez third.
But it did not go to plan for Norris, who crashed out on the third lap.
The 24-year-old collided with the barriers at around 180mph before sliding down a straight and coming to a stop at the turn 12 run-off.
He was taken to hospital but later discharged with no significant injuries.
Vegas was a hotspot for a-list celebrities on Saturday night, with the likes of David Beckham, Shaquille O’Neal, Brad Pitt, Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Paris Hilton all in attendance.
