F1 drivers prepare for Las Vegas Grand Prix qualifying tonight

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Formula 1 drivers are gearing up for their last practice session as well as the qualifying session on Friday night.

WATCH | Ryan Ketcham has a look at how fans enjoyed Day 1 of the Las Vegas Grand Prix:

The drivers worked to get in their laps during the first two practice sessions on Thursday night but it didn't come without a little drama.

The first session went off without a hitch. Right before the second session, it rained for about 20 minutes. Teams waited cautiously in their garages for about five minutes into the session so the track could dry up a bit before heading out.

"It was difficult out there, like it always is in Vegas," Haas driver Esteban Ocon said. "It’s difficult to get the tires up to temperature, and with the little bit of rain out there in FP2, it was even harder."

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri says he expects the track to keep evolving with the conditions. Teams are already having to deal with Las Vegas being the coldest race on the F1 calendar.

"I think the track is going to continue to change quite a bit for the rest of the weekend," Piastri said. "We'll see what kind of weather we've got tomorrow when we get here and take it from there."

That's something echoed by Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.

"It's all about trying to anticipate what the conditions of tomorrow will be like and make sure that we start on the right foot tomorrow," Leclerc said. "But I have pretty clear ideas of what I want to do with the car to try and improve it."

As the second session progressed, an eagle-eyed race marshal spotted a manhole cover that seemed to have come loose near Turn 17, which is the final corner of the circuit, and alerted the race director.

A red flag was issued, and personnel were sent to inspect the cover. After about a 15-minute delay, the all-clear was issued and drivers got back on track. However, a second red flag came near the end of the session after more concerns about the cover. That ultimately ended the session.

"Some race control personnel remained on-site when the session was restarted," the FIA said in a statement. "They reported that the manhole cover was moving as cars passed over it, which led to the session being ended under red-flag conditions. Further inspections are underway."

The F1 Academy was scheduled to have their qualifying session after the men's second practice session was over. Their start was only delayed by two minutes since crews were able to weld the manhole cover to prevent it from coming up again.

It might give some Las Vegans flashbacks to the inaugural Grand Prix, when Carlos Sainz ran over a water valve cover, heavily damaging his vehicle. That led to an hours-long delay with the second session wrapping up in the wee hours of the morning. Ticket holders were kicked out of fan zones due to staffing issues, and they filed a lawsuit against Formula 1, claiming they didn't get what they paid for.

This type of issue isn't unusual and pops up with street circuits around the world.

As for how the practice sessions went, Leclerc set the fastest pace in the first while McLaren's Lando Norris led the way in the second.

Coming into Thursday night, Norris said he was concerned since Las Vegas isn't the team's strongest track. However, after the practice sessions on Thursday, he said he's feeling more confident.

"I think we have a better feeling in the car than what we had last year. That's a positive and that was felt, I would say, already lap one today," Norris said. "Some good feelings. Of course, not a lot of running in the end. Not really any hard fuel running but the pace clearly is there. I think it's tight between a lot of people and not many people got their laps in. So apart from that, yeah. I think we made steps forward between FP1 and FP2."

There's big expectations for Mercedes, who placed one and two last year. Neither driver, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, were able to complete a fully qualifying simulation on soft tires due to the red flags in the second session.

"There were a lot of expectations on us coming into the weekend but we’ve changed the car a lot since last year," Russell said. "It’s definitely made it a better car over the course of the season but maybe hasn’t made it as competitive here as we were 12 months ago."

Other quick hits:

Norris and Rusell will celebrate special career milestones in Las Vegas, their 150th races in Formula 1.

"It's crazy. It's a big number, matching [David Coulthard] for amount of races with McLaren as well. So it's not just races in Formula 1. It's 150 with McLaren," Norris said. "It's been my dream since I was a kid. So to get that far, to get one is pretty incredible but 150? ... Time certainly flies."

"There are so many races now. The season's relentless and it's only when you achieve these sorts of small milestones that you recognise that we are living our dream," Russell said. "When you're in this competitive spiral week after week, you sometimes forget the position you're in. So moments like this give you that small time of reflection."

Red Bull drive Max Verstappen may have changed his tune on Las Vegas. During the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix, he voiced concerns there would be too much spectacle and not enough focus on the actual racing. When asked what he thinks about the race now.....

"I feel good. I mean, the food is great. [I] had a good dinner last night. The hotel is great. I also learned to not always speak too much because first of all, it’s better for myself, and less headlines. So that’s probably safer for everyone," Verstappen said. "But I have a good time. I’ve been here many times, even before F1, and I’ve always enjoyed it."