Max Verstappen compared Formula One’s £500million Las Vegas Grand Prix to the fifth tier of English football – and suggested the sport’s new generation of fans are only interested in partying. Verstappen will start from second place for Saturday’s 50-lap race on the strip after Charles Leclerc put his Ferrari on pole position with a dazzling lap under the Las Vegas lights. F1 has sold the sport’s Sin City comeback after four decades away as the greatest show on Earth, but fans witnessed just eight minutes of practice on Thursday after a drain cover broke free and tore a hole into the underbelly of Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari. A delayed second practice – which concluded at 4am on Friday local time – took place in front of empty grandstands after angry spectators were turfed out to comply with local employment laws. An estimated crowd of 70,000 watched qualifying on Friday night while organisers had been expecting 100,000 attendees each day. Earlier this week, Verstappen criticised F1’s maiden street race on the strip as “99 per cent show, and one per cent sport”. And in the moments after qualifying, he took another swipe at the event. “Monaco is Champions League and this is National League,” he said. “I feel like the show is important, but I like emotion. When I was a little kid it was all about the emotion of the sport that I fell in love with and not the show. As a real racer the show shouldn’t matter. “An F1 car does not come alive on a street circuit. It is not that exciting. It is about proper race tracks. And when you go to Monza and Spa, these kinds of places have a lot of emotion and passion, and for me seeing the fans there is incredible. When I jump in the car, I am fired up. I love driving at these kind of places. “I understand fans need things to do around the track, but it is more important that they understand what we do as a sport. Most of them just come to have a party, drink, see a DJ, or a performance act. “I can do that all over the world. I can go to Ibiza and get completely s***-faced and have a good time. People come here, but they become a fan of what? They want to see maybe their favourite artist and have a few drinks with their mates, and then go out and have a crazy night. “But they don’t understand what we are doing, and they don’t understand what we are putting on the line to perform.” John Legend and Kylie Minogue were among a number of high-profile artists to perform in a dazzling 30-minute Superbowl-style show here on Wednesday, designed to kick-start the penultimate round of the season in style. Verstappen and his fellow drivers were introduced to the crowd via an elevating platform. Verstappen, who secured his third world title in Qatar last month, later said he felt like a “clown”. In the early hours of Saturday morning, he continued: “As a little kid I grew up wanting to become a world champion. More time should be invested into the actual sport, and what we are trying to achieve. “The sport should explain what the team has done throughout the season, and what they are working for. That’s way more important than having these random shows all over the place. I am not passionate about that. I like passion and emotion. “I love Vegas, but not to drive an F1 car. I love to go out, have a few drinks, throw everything on red and be crazy, but emotion and passion is not there compared to the old-school tracks.” Despite starting behind Leclerc when the lights go out at 10pm local time here on Saturday (6am Sunday GMT), Verstappen will be favourite to take his 18th win of the season. George Russell will line up from third but Lewis Hamilton will start only 10th. Hamilton, who finished half-a-second behind team-mate Russell, said: “I was lacking confidence and grip. I struggled. “Yesterday, the car felt better and I was more competitive and I made changes overnight and it didn’t feel great today. I have got a lot of work to do.” Read More Toto Wolff fuelled by ‘personal anger’ to help Lewis Hamilton win eighth title On this day in 2010: Sebastian Vettel becomes youngest ever F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton ‘counting down days’ to end of season after another poor race Max Verstappen thwarts Lando Norris’ bid for first F1 win with sprint victory F1 2023 season race schedule: When is the Las Vegas Grand Prix? Verstappen criticises Vegas GP: ‘Monaco is Champions League, this is National League’

Max Verstappen compared the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit to the “National League” after qualifying on Saturday – while Monaco is the Champions League. The three-time world champion has been outspoken this week about the inaugural race on the Vegas strip, describing it as “99% show, 1% race.” After qualifying in third place in qualifying on Friday night – though he will start alongside pole-sitter Charles Leclerc in second as a result of Carlos Sainz’s penalty – the drivers were asked to compare a lap around the new circuit to other street tracks such as Singapore, Baku and Monaco. Verstappen simply quipped: “Monaco is Champions League… this is National League.” The National League is the fifth tier of English football, while the Champions League is Europe’s premier club competition. Verstappen was involved in a close shave with Esteban Ocon in the first part of qualifying, labelling the Alpine driver a “stupid idiot.” The Red Bull driver fell short of Leclerc’s pole-setting time by 0.378 seconds, though won’t be concerned given his supreme record this season. Verstappen has won 17 out of the 20 races in 2023, winning every grand prix since April bar Singapore in September. Read More F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix LIVE: Qualifying times and results in Sin City ‘It happens’: F1 fail to apologise or issue refunds to Las Vegas fans When does the Las Vegas Grand Prix start and how can I watch?

Charles Leclerc danced his way to pole position with an emphatic performance for Ferrari under the Las Vegas lights. At just after 1am local time – the latest conclusion to a qualifying session in Formula One history – Leclerc finished just 0.044 seconds clear of team-mate Carlos Sainz. However, Sainz will start down in 12th after a loose drain cover destroyed his Ferrari in practice and triggered a 10-place grid penalty. Triple world champion Max Verstappen, a winner in 17 of the 20 rounds so far, took third spot for Red Bull, but will move up to second following Sainz’s demotion. Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in Q2, leaving him only 10th on the grid. Hamilton finished half-a-second behind team-mate George Russell, who hauled his Mercedes into Q3 before taking advantage of Sainz’s penalty to secure third on the grid for Saturday’s 50-lap race. Following the shambolic start to F1’s Sin City comeback here on Thursday night, qualifying passed off without significant incident – much to the relief of the sport’s under-fire bosses. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali stopped short of issuing an apology to the furious spectators, who saw just eight minutes of practice before they were ejected from the stands. However, in the early hours of Saturday morning, the estimated 90,000 fans who filled the 3.8-mile street venue – 30,000 down on capacity – were treated to an uninterrupted session which saw Leclerc romp to top spot in his scarlet machine. “I am happy,” said Leclerc. “To have first place in Las Vegas is great. “I was a bit disappointed because my lap was not great but it was all we needed. In the race we usually lack pace but hopefully we can put it all together in the race.” Against the backdrop of Caesars Palace, the MGM Grand and Bellagio hotels, Ferrari delivered, but it was another underwhelming showing for Hamilton. A fortnight after the seven-time world champion finished eighth in Brazil – 63 seconds behind winner Verstappen – he struggled for pace in his underperforming Mercedes. “Couldn’t go faster, mate,” said Hamilton following his elimination. Behind Hamilton, Sergio Perez qualified one place back. Lando Norris arrived in Nevada as the grid’s in-form driver after scoring more points across the last three rounds than anyone else. But the British driver failed to make it out of Q2 with his McLaren machinery not suited to the three long straights here coupled with slow corners. He qualified only 16th, three places ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri who also fell at the first hurdle. “Very disappointed,” said McLaren CEO Zak Brown. “We thought we’d struggle this weekend but I didn’t think either car would be out in Q1. “Not a good start to the weekend and now all we can do is focus on the race tomorrow.” Read More Toto Wolff fuelled by ‘personal anger’ to help Lewis Hamilton win eighth title On this day in 2010: Sebastian Vettel becomes youngest ever F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton ‘counting down days’ to end of season after another poor race Max Verstappen thwarts Lando Norris’ bid for first F1 win with sprint victory F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix LIVE: Qualifying times and results in Sin City Verstappen calls Ocon a ‘stupid idiot’ in F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix qualifying tussle

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Max Verstappen called Esteban Ocon a “stupid idiot” following a scuffle between the pair at the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix qualifying race on Saturday morning (18 November). There was a lot of jostling before Turn 14 to try and make a gap, with both Ocon and Verstappen involved. Verstappen looks to dive down the inside into Turn 1, ruining both of their laps. Ocon says: “It’s a joke honestly. Verstappen diving into Turn 1 like crazy.” Verstappen says: “What a stupid idiot.” Read More Usain Bolt declares ‘the speed is great’ as he attends F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix Why Everton have been handed 10 point deduction as Premier League takes FFP stand Watch: Sparks fly as Sainz’s Ferrari hits drain cover on Las Vegas F1 circuit

The fastest man in the world has spoken out about being at one of the fastest circuits on the calendar as he attends the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. Usain Bolt declared “The speed is great” as he prepared to watch the qualifying races on Saturday (18 November). Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “Vegas itself is such a big entertainment city, so to actually bring the Formula One here is just brilliant. We have heard about it for a while, so for it to actually happen is beautiful.” The athlete also spoke of his admiration for Britian’s Lewis Hamilton.

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F1’s highly anticipated Las Vegas Grand Prix is back on track after a disastrous opening day had to be suspended to fix a loose manhole cover, as qualifying begins. The first session of F1’s newest event had only been going for eight minutes before Carlos Sainz’s car stopped on the lengthy Vegas strip. Replays show his Ferrari car, at speeds of over 200mph, went over a loose drain cover before the Spaniard veered to the side and stopped the car due to substantial floor damage, and Ferrari were furious. FP2 was delayed for more than two hours while the circuit was made safe, before the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Sainz topped the timings, with Max Verstappen only sixth. FP3 then saw Mercedes’ George Russell top the charts ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Pastri and Williams’ Logan Sargeant, with Ferrari way down the results after choosing to preserve their soft tyres. Follow live updates from the Las Vegas Grand Prix below and check the latest F1 odds and tips here. Read More Shambles and incompetence: F1 enters new Las Vegas dawn with disaster on opening night Ferrari boss rages at F1 after ‘unacceptable’ loose drain cover wrecks Carlos Sainz’s car Toto Wolff launches furious defence of F1 after absurd start to Las Vegas GP

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Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali has refused to apologise for the farcical opening to this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix. After months of hype leading up to the £500million race, opening practice was abandoned with just eight minutes on the clock on Thursday night. The second running was delayed by two-and-a-half hours, and then took place in front of vacant grandstands after furious fans were ejected to comply with local employment laws. Practice finished at 4am on Friday morning. But in a 650-word joint statement by Domenicali, and CEO of the Las Vegas race, Renee Wilm, the sport’s red-faced bosses stopped short of saying sorry. “We have all been to events, like concerts, games and even other Formula One races, that have been cancelled because of factors like weather or technical issues,” they said. “It happens, and we hope people will understand.” Fans who held a 200 US dollar (£160) general admission ticket for Thursday’s two practice sessions have been offered a voucher for the same amount to be redeemed on merchandise. But those in attendance on a three-day pass – the cheapest of which is 500 US dollars (£400) – will not receive any compensation. The statement continued: “We know this was disappointing. We hope our fans will understand that we had to balance many interests, including the safety and security of all participants and the fan experience over the whole race weekend. “So how will we address this tonight? “We have worked overnight to adjust our staffing plans across security, transportation and hospitality to ensure that we can function and serve fans with the best possible experience in the event of an extended race schedule. “We are excited about the racing today and thank our entire team and our fans for their support. We know this is going to be a great event. With that, let’s get back to racing.” Qualifying for Saturday’s 50-lap race will take place at midnight local time (8am GMT on Saturday). Read More Toto Wolff fuelled by ‘personal anger’ to help Lewis Hamilton win eighth title On this day in 2010: Sebastian Vettel becomes youngest ever F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton ‘counting down days’ to end of season after another poor race Max Verstappen thwarts Lando Norris’ bid for first F1 win with sprint victory On this day in 2015: Susie Wolff ends her bid to get on an F1 starting grid ‘It happens’: F1 fail to apologise or issue refunds to Las Vegas fans

Formula 1 failed to apologise or issue refunds to fans after they witnessed just eight minutes of cars on track before being told to leave on a farcical opening day in Las Vegas. As opposed to a refund, all single-day ticket holders have instead been offered a $200 voucher for the Las Vegas Grand Prix official shop. Those with full weekend, three-day tickets won’t be reimbursed in any way for Thursday night’s lost action. A lengthy statement released on Friday from F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and Las Vegas Grand Prix CEO Renee Wilm was also notable for the lack of an apology to spectators as well. A section of the statement read: “We have all been to events, like concerts, games and even other Formula 1 races, that have been cancelled because of factors like weather or technical issues. “It happens, and we hope people will understand.” Fans in the grandstands were told to leave at 1:30am local time on Friday morning, one hour before the second practice session took place. The statement also detailed that fans were told to leave due to “concern about our public safety and security officials, transportation employees and hospitality staff.” The drama began on Thursday night when Carlos Sainz ran over a loose drain cover on the strip, forcing the first practice session to be cancelled for safety reasons. Second practice, scheduled to start at midnight, was continuously delayed before it started at 2:30am. By that point, cars were going around the new 3.8-mile track without any fans present to see it. The statement also read: “The precautionary step of removing all of the water valve covers on the entire track and filling them with sand and asphalt was undertaken. “The entire process, from determination of the issue to remediation, took approximately five hours. The decision to remediate in this way was taken out of an abundance of caution and because the safety of drivers, trackside marshals and officials and our fans is always our highest priority. “We thank the contractors who worked expeditiously to resolve the situation so quickly.” Read More What time is qualifying at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday? Former F1 champion gets married in Las Vegas Grand Prix paddock F1 enters new Las Vegas dawn with disaster on opening night Watch: Sparks fly as Sainz’s Ferrari hits drain cover on Las Vegas F1 circuit Empty grandstands at Las Vegas GP as chaotic practice session takes place at 3am Carlos Sainz handed ‘ridiculous’ penalty after drain cover crash at Las Vegas GP

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