Second practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is DELAYED due to loose drain covers… just months after the same issue forced F1 to cancel a session in Las Vegas

The second practice session of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was postponed on Thursday evening due to loose drain covers.

After the opening race of the 2024 season in Bahrain last week, Formula 1 headed to Saudi Arabia, but they encountered an early problem.

After getting through the first practice session without any problems, the second practice was halted after loose drain covers were noticed.

Haas confirmed the postponement with a post on X that read, “Session Delay! And yes, you guessed it, it’s due to loose drain covers.

‘After a damaged cover was found for the garages, these all need to be checked before the session can start. FP2 will still be 1 hour.’

Confirmation of the delay came at around 5pm UK time, but the issue was quickly resolved and the session was allowed to resume at 5.10pm.

This is the second time in a few months that drain covers have caused F1 a headache ahead of race day.

The first practice session at the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November had to be canceled after just eight minutes after a drain cover damaged two cars.

Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari stopped after appearing to run over a drain, while Alpine’s Esteban Ocon also suffered a drain that damaged his car.

Authorities managed to settle the matter in time for the weekend’s race, but it was an embarrassing situation that has now arisen again in the opening weeks of the 2024 season.

The drain cover incident comes at the start of a key race weekend for F1, with all eyes on Red Bull team boss Christian Horner as he continues to lead his team despite allegations over his behavior towards a female employee.

Horner was cleared of any wrongdoing last week, but messages he allegedly sent to the employee were subsequently leaked to the press, further casting doubt on his position.

Horner continued to deny the allegations and stepped out hand-in-hand with his wife Geri Halliwell ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix last Saturday, in a show of unity from the couple.

It has since emerged that Horner’s accuser was suspended by Red Bull ‘for being dishonest’, with Horner admitting the scandal has been ‘very difficult’ for his family.

He will now look to focus on on-track business this weekend as Red Bull aims for another dominant performance after completing a one-two with Max Verstappen winning in Bahrain ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez last week.

More to follow…