F1 off to rough Las Vegas start. Ferrari damaged, fans told to leave before practice ends at 4 a.m.

By JENNA FRYER
AP Auto Racing Writer

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Las Vegas Grand Prix had a bumpy opening when the first practice of the $500 million Formula One race was halted nine minutes into the session Thursday night because Carlos Sainz Jr. ran over a water valve cover that badly damaged his Ferrari. It caused the first practice to be aborted, a delay of 2 1/2-hours before second practice for track repairs, and all spectators were removed from viewing areas ahead of the 90-minute session that ended at 4 a.m. local time. That was the deadline for F1 to return the roads to Las Vegas commuters. F1 and its ownership group Liberty Media have spent half a billion dollars on the spectacle down the Las Vegas Strip.