Carlos Sainz's car is damaged in the first practice session of the Las Vegas GP after a manhole cover falls onto the track.

• Formula 1 was returning to Las Vegas for the first time since 1982.
• On the all-new circuit, a broken drain cover caused significant damage to Ferrari's Carlos Sainz's car.
• Practice Two delayed until 10am and extended to 90 minutes.

The opening practice session for Formula 1 in Las Vegas was abruptly halted after just eight minutes due to a broken drain cover that damaged Carlos Sainz's car.

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz's car suffered significant damage on the main straight of the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit, which was making its debut since 1982.

The Alpine car driven by Ocon sustained damage under the red flag after colliding with debris left behind by the Sainz accident.

The session was canceled 11 minutes after its scheduled start time, and the second practice was pushed back two hours to 10am, with an extension of 30 minutes.

A manhole cover's concrete frame has failed, according to an FIA statement following an inspection.

The local circuit engineering team will discuss the length of time it will take to resolve the manhole cover issue and update the schedule accordingly.

In the team principal's press conference following the session, Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur deemed the incident "unacceptable" and confirmed that Sainz's monocoque, engine, and battery were all damaged.

Meanwhile, Alpine confirmed that Ocon's car chassis needed to be changed.

The other Ferrari of Charles Leclerc was the fastest during the session, but the limited running time did not provide much insight into the rest of the weekend's running order.

Such an issue has previously caused the halt of an F1 session in recent history.

The 2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix practice session was canceled after George Russell's Williams collided with a drain cover and sustained damage.

The Canadian Grand Prix's opening session was canceled after four minutes due to problems with the circuit's CCTV.

Wolff launches impassioned defence of Vegas GP organisers

Toto Wolff passionately defended the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which is the first race organized and promoted by Liberty Media, the owners of F1 commercial rights.

F1's "black eye" event was met with anger from Wolff.

He stated: "This is not a black eye; it's nothing. It's Thursday night, and we have a free practice session that we're not utilizing."

The drain covers will be sealed, and the topic will no longer be discussed tomorrow morning.

It's completely ridiculous to try to speak negatively about the event that sets new standards for everything.

A drain cover that's been undone is nothing new. It's just FP1.

Credit the individuals who established this Grand Prix and expanded the sport's popularity.

Have you ever praised someone and written a positive review? You should do the same for all these people who have been working hard. Liberty has been doing great, and even though a drain cover came loose in FP1, we shouldn't complain.

The car malfunctioned, which was unfortunate for Carlos. It could have resulted in danger. Therefore, both the FIA and the track must investigate to prevent a recurrence.

In European time, nobody watches the black eye for the sport on a Thursday evening.