It was billed as the glistening jewel in Formula 1’s crown. In all but name, this was the new Monaco. But the biggest race on the sport’s 2023 calendar – the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix on the streets of Sin City – descended into a total disaster on opening night. Even for the entertainment capital of the world, nobody could have conjured up this story of incompetence. Make no mistake: this was a shambles. A complete and utter shambles. What started with Carlos Sainz’s car substantially damaged by a loose water valve cover just after 8:30pm on Thursday night ended at 4am on Friday morning in front of empty grandstands, with fans instructed at 1:30am to head for the exits. Put out of their misery, they trudged home having seen just eight minutes of cars on track. For two men with their heads exhaustingly bowed downwards on a fan zone table, it was finally home time. A refund must surely be imminent. F1, so we were told, had left no stone unturned in preparation for this racing extravaganza. A new $500m pit building was built. Unlike their previous forgettable experience in Vegas back in the 1980s, they had cajoled all the major casinos and hotels into a favourable position. The third of three races in the United States this year, the Netflix-inspired American audience waited eagerly for action to commence. But for all the relentless marketing, self-promotion and hype, the fundamental basics of the sport were ruefully ignored here. A day on from an opening ceremony which made three-time world champion Max Verstappen feel like a “clown”, confusion immediately reigned when Sainz pulled his Ferrari car over on the Vegas strip, eight minutes into the first of two practice sessions scheduled. Yet replays quickly showed that the Spaniard had not made a mistake. He had instead run over a loose manhole cover, triggering a complete failure of the engine. The floor of the car was also badly damaged and, frankly, he was lucky the car did not spear off into the wall. With safety coming first – and every drain cover now needing to be double-checked on the strip section of the circuit – the session was cancelled. To add salt to the wounds, Sainz was later given a time penalty due to taking a new gearbox as a result of the incident. Sometimes, common sense fails to prevail. Usually so softly spoken, Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur was livid with F1 and labelled the farcical start to proceedings as “unacceptable” in an exquisitely timed team principals’ press conference. Sat next to him was Mercedes chief Toto Wolff, who took the opposite view and hit the roof when asked if the evening’s events represented a “black eye” for F1. “It’s completely ridiculous,” he said. “How can you even dare talk bad about an event that sets the new standards to everything?” Really, Toto? New standards? With a second one-hour practice session scheduled for midnight, the updates coming through were inadequately sparse. Every hour was amateur hour. Spectators who had paid thousands of dollars to experience night one in Vegas were left in the dark. Would we have any cars on track? The answer was yes – but there would be no fans to see it. Following delay after delay, a start time of 2:30am was eventually pencilled in. But an hour earlier, fans were told over the tannoy to leave owing to “logistical considerations.” In reality, staff had to depart in order to return for their scheduled start time later on Friday – meaning the fans were given their marching orders too. So the obvious question begs: why on earth was that decision not made sooner? By the time cars entered the track, manholes suitably covered, there was an eerie emptiness on the terraces. For an event anticipated to attract 100,000 people a day, it felt like the pandemic once again. It did not matter that Charles Leclerc was fastest; what mattered was that by the time the day finally concluded, nobody really cared. All in all, it represents a mighty old screw-up from Formula 1. Verstappen said on Wednesday the whole event felt like “99% show, 1% sporting event” and on this evidence it is hard not to agree with him. The start times were late enough before it alienated an entire American audience eager for some sleep. There are some serious lessons to be learned. And looking ahead to two more days, as team personnel and reporters alike trundle home with glimpses of the sun on the horizon, it may well take something special to reinvigorate proceedings this weekend. It is recoverable – it has to be, given the investment made here. But let there be no doubt: with the eyes of the world on F1 and the bright lights of Vegas, they dropped the ball tonight. This morning. Whatever the time is. Read More Carlos Sainz handed ‘ridiculous’ penalty after drain cover crash at Las Vegas GP Las Vegas GP resumes in front of empty stands as fans sent home at 1:30am Ferrari team boss fumes over damage to Sainz car: ‘Just unacceptable’ 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 Watch: Sainz hits loose drain cover on Las Vegas track as F1 practice turns to chaos

Alex Albon would be the “dream candidate” to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull, says Nico Rosberg. Perez, who has a contract at the constructors’ champions until the end of next season, has struggled in recent months and has not claimed a win since May despite being in the best car on the grid. While Red Bull have publicly insisted the Mexican will retain his drive for 2024, other drivers are being linked with the seat to partner Max Verstappen, including the likes of Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo. Yet 2016 F1 world champion Rosberg believes Williams driver Albon – who drove for Red Bull for 18 months before being dropped for Perez ahead of the 2021 season – would be ideal for Christian Horner’s team moving forward. “Albon would also be a dream candidate actually for the Red Bull mother team for next year to replace Sergio Perez,” Roseberg told Sky Sports F1. “But unfortunately, as Helmut Marko was saying, Albon is locked in with a long-term contract there at Williams.” Albon has been a standout performer for Williams this year, scoring all of the team’s 23 points, and has a long-term deal in place at the team believed to run until the end of the 2024 season at a minimum. Meanwhile Albon’s team-mate, Logan Sargeant, has not scored a point all year and has five races left this season to prove to team boss James Vowles that he deserves his seat for next year. “Logan Sargeant is another one of those drivers who’s on shaky ground and really needs to prove himself,” Rosberg added. “He’s been making too many mistakes so honestly I think it’s going to be difficult for him to retain that seat for next year, especially because Albon is doing such a phenomenal job.” Sargeant will be keen to put on a good show for the home American fans this weekend at the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, which is also the fifth sprint weekend of the season. Read More Lewis Hamilton penalty in Qatar ‘revisited’ in light of ‘role model status’ Nicolas Hamilton: ‘Lewis has never put a penny into my racing... it’s not easy being related to him’ Lance Stroll ‘may have contravened FIA rules’ during furious outburst in Qatar Lewis Hamilton penalty in Qatar ‘revisited’ in light of ‘role model status’ F1 gives Belgian Grand Prix update for 2025 calendar Nicolas Hamilton: ‘Lewis has never put a penny into my racing’

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Billy Connolly has shared updates on how Parkinson’s disease has had a greater effect on his physical abilities over time. The actor and comedian, 80, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2013 and retired from his stand-up career in 2018 due to the illness. Parkinson’s is a brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination. Often, the disease gets more severe over time. In an interview conducted by Connolly’s wife, the writer and psychologist Pamela Stephenson Connolly, the comedy figure gave insight into how his Parkinson’s disease has had a greater effect on his physical abilities. “It’s very difficult to see the progression exactly, because a lot of things come and go,” he began in the Guardian profile, published on Saturday (30 September). “Recently I’ve noticed a deterioration in my balance. That was never such a problem before, but in the last year that has come and it has stayed. For some reason, I thought it would go away, because a lot of symptoms have come and gone away… just to defy the symptom spotters.” He added that the shaking had reappeared, as well as “the inability to get out of certain types of chairs”. Stephenson added that balance had been the most significant factor to affect the star’s health, and had resulted in “a couple of serious falls”. “It’s funny, that fall I had when I landed on my jaw reminded me of a thing I used to do on stage,” Connolly replied. “I used to say: “I fell out of bed, but luckily my face broke my fall…” “It wasn’t so funny when you broke your hip,” Stephenson said in response. The What We Did on Our Holiday star noted that his declining ability to control his body movements is one factor “added to the list of things that hold me back”. “I feel like I want to go for a walk, but I go for 50 yards and I want to go home, because I’m tired. I’m being encroached upon by this disease. It’s creeping up behind me and stopping me doing things. It’s a cruel disease.” Elsewhere in the interview, the couple discussed the changes to their relationship as a result of his changing health. Connolly praised Stephenson for her ability to care for him. “It’s lovely. I found a new you. I found a new Pamela. And it’s worked out great. I never thought that you’d be able to look after me the way you do. “I thought it would annoy you terribly,” he continued. “You were such an independent “look after yourself” kind of person. But you’ve rallied round to looking after me. And it suits you great. And it sure suits me lovely.” Read More Lorraine Kelly shares the career advice she got from Billy Connolly Fred Sirieix shares details of medical procedures to ‘investigate’ recent blood tests David Beckham explains why he never sought therapy after 1998 World Cup match left him ‘depressed’ Fred Sirieix shares details of medical procedures to ‘investigate’ recent blood tests David Beckham explains why he never sought therapy after 1998 England match Climbing 5 flights of stairs a day could cut risk of heart disease, study suggests

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For all the success garnered over the last two years, an asterisk has accompanied the Red Bull route to Formula 1 domination. In 2021, Max Verstappen’s dramatic title triumph was shrouded in controversy after the Abu Dhabi fiasco. Last year, their mightily impressive double title glory was overshadowed by breaching the inaugural F1 cost cap. This season, entering race nine back at base at the Red Bull Ring this weekend with Verstappen holding a 69-point lead in the championship – and even that is from his team-mate Sergio Perez – there does not look set to be such a dark cloud forming this time. The RB19 is perhaps Adrian Newey’s greatest achievement yet. Verstappen’s confidence is at an all-time high, to the extent he joked in real time about a slightly misjudged approach to the kerb in Canada where George Russell had earlier crashed. And when the Dutchman has a rare off-day, perhaps in qualifying, invariably Sergio Perez is there to pick up the first-place trophy instead. Christian Horner’s team are a pristine, well-oiled machine. They claimed their 100th win in F1 last time out in Montreal. Yet Lewis Hamilton, seven times a world champion scampering desperately with the other 17 drivers on the grid playing catch-up, is willing to discuss the elephant in the room. “The [cost cap] penalty didn’t cost them anything,” Hamilton said, ahead of this weekend’s sprint weekend in Austria. “It definitely, definitely didn’t. It was so small.” Red Bull were fined £6m and docked 10% of their car development time for their £1.8m overspend, impacting their wind-tunnel runs and simulations. As emphatic as Hamilton’s assessment is, and many will argue it has a certain degree of accuracy given the scale of Red Bull’s success, the Mercedes man went further as he looks to give himself a fighting chance of a record-breaking eighth title in the not-so-distant future. "I think the FIA should probably put a time when everyone is allowed to start developing on next year’s car,” he added, referring to Red Bull no longer focusing on their 2023 car such is their current advantage and instead shifting emphasis to 2024. “Say August 1, that’s where everybody can start so that no one can get an advantage on the next year, cause that sucks. "It would make more sense. They should. Say for example you start the season and you know you have a bad car, you can just say I’m not going to bother developing this car and put all this money into next year’s car and have an advantage." The notion that the FIA should change the regulations as a result of Red Bull’s domination has been regularly concocted in recent weeks, whether it be across the paddock or on social media. Short memories, it seems. For Red Bull’s current all-out supremacy, think Michael Schumacher’s five-in-a-row with Ferrari at the start of the noughties. Think Lewis Hamilton’s six victories in seven years with Mercedes. Think Sebastian Vettel’s four on the bounce back at Red Bull to kick off the 2010s. Periods of domination are commonplace in F1. A framework is set in place; regulations set in stone years in advance. These must remain. A sudden alteration of various rules, now, would be simply unfair and unsporting. Despite that, talk of a perfect 22/22 this season is being swiftly dismissed by Red Bull. The runaway leaders are not getting carried away yet. “At a sprint weekend, so many things can go wrong,” said a typically level-headed Verstappen on Thursday. His team-mate Perez was absent, due to illness, but is expected to be fit to drive on Friday. While the second of six sprint weekends this season takes place in Spielberg – with qualifying for the grand prix on Friday before “sprint day” on Saturday – could ruffle feathers, Red Bull are massive favourites to take their ninth-straight win of the year at their home track. Ferrari did win in Austria last year, but have not won since. Mercedes are on a slow road back to the top-tier, with a bigger upgrade due next week at Silverstone. If any team is to challenge Red Bull, therefore, it could well be Aston Martin – and their imperious 41-year-old double world champion Fernando Alonso. Read More Are Red Bull now the most successful F1 team ever – and how long can this dominance last? Toto Wolff optimistic as Mercedes target improvement at Austrian Grand Prix Sergio Perez misses media day at the Austrian Grand Prix Sergio Perez misses media day at the Austrian Grand Prix Toto Wolff optimistic as Mercedes target improvement at Austrian Grand Prix What is a sprint race in F1 and how does new qualifying shootout work?

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