Charles Leclerc takes P1 in an extended FP2, Sainz P2

In a busy session where all drivers set over 30 laps, the Monegasque driver finished five-tenths quicker than his teammate, Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard was able to return to the track after sustaining extreme damage to his car as a result of hitting a water valve cover in FP1, as he took P2. 

Track trouble causes major delay to FP2

The second free practice session in Vegas got underway two hours after the original start time, which occurred because of track issues that caused significant damage to Sainz.

The first session around the Las Vegas Strip Circuit lasted just nine minutes before the FIA called an end to proceedings, with Sainz and Esteban Ocon hitting a water valve cover that had become loose on the track.

The FIA and Formula 1 said in a statement that "a single water valve cover on the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit failed during the first practice session," meaning all 30 covers had to be checked and reinforced before FP2 got underway, causing the mammoth delay.

The damage caused to Sainz's Ferrari was extensive, with the car's chassis, engine and battery all needing to be replaced because of the incident.

Ferrari also sent a request to the stewards to see if they could replace the damaged parts without incurring a penalty, but that request was denied, meaning Sainz will have a grid penalty, and he will drop down the field for Sunday's race.

For Sainz and Ocon, the mechanics for each team replaced the damage caused, meaning they were both back on track for the delayed FP2 session.

Verstappen vying for victory number 18

FP2 finally got underway at 2:30 am local time, and after the two-hour delay and the early abandonment of FP1, FP2 was extended.

However, there was another delay of 30 minutes added to the original restart time. When the session finally got underway, many drivers fitted the soft tyres, but Max Verstappen on the medium tyres set the early pace, as he has done all season, hunting for an 18th race win in 2023. 

Ferraris finding some pace on the Strip

However, as the Las Vegas Strip Circuit continued to get quicker with track evolution, so did the Ferraris. 

Charles Leclerc posted the fastest times throughout the rest of the session to finish in P1, and the Monegasque driver was the first to set a one-minute-thirty-five lap time, highlighting the one-lap pace that the Maranello team have in their locker. Sainz was able to stay in and around his teammate, but he could never outpace his teammate.

Fernando Alonso was also able to underline his fantastic one-lap pace on the softs behind the wheel of his Aston Martin. The Spaniard could not find the extra speed needed to beat out Leclerc, but he was always within a tenth of a second of P1. He finished in P3 as the chequered flag fell. 

The Red Bull of Sergio Perez could only finish up in P4, with his teammate Verstappen only good enough for P6, with the Red Bulls split by the Alfa Romeo of Valtteri Bottas, who put in a fantastic lap to finish in the top five.

For Mercedes and McLaren, only Lewis Hamilton finished in the top ten in P9, meaning there is lots of work to do to jump into the top five.