The Las Vegas GP has been the most anticipated race weekend of the season. Since it was announced in 2022, all any of the drivers have wanted is to come to Sin City and race. Considering Formula 1 returned to Vegas after 41 years, the excitement to drive a modern-day F1 car along the Strip was something the drivers were looking forward to. But as soon as they got out on track for the first time, their running hit a snag. And so did the session. Fans came to watch F1 cars on track, but all they got during FP1 was a Red Flag. At the end of the day, Sergio Perez couldn’t help but sympathize with them.

For the first time ever, F1 is promoting a race on its own. It invested in Las Vegas, and it expects to get back everything and some more ($500 million, to be precise). Considering how much the weekend was built up, a snag would’ve been the last way F1 would’ve wanted the inaugural Las Vegas GP to start. But it happened, and Sergio Perez knew fans wouldn’t have appreciated it.

Sergio Perez looked out for spectators at the Las Vegas GP

Less than 10 minutes into FP1, Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari went over a broken drain cover. In the process, he damaged his SF-23’s battery, engine, and monocoque. He stopped on track, and the session was red-flagged. The broken drain cover was a safety hazard the FIA had to address. With drains all around the track—considering it’s a street circuit—the FIA suspended the session so that its engineers could get to work, ensuring all the others were intact. So FP1 lasted for all of 10 minutes.

After a suspended FP1, the checks took longer than expected. In turn, FP2 was delayed by two and a half hours, keeping spectators on the track waiting. Spectators who came to watch on-track action, who came to watch F1 cars speeding down the Strip. Instead, all they got was a view of cars sitting in their garages, waiting for the green light. When FP2 finally got underway, it went on for 90 minutes. Everyone came out on track and did their runs. But when you think about it, fans in Vegas (where ticket prices are exorbitant) got less than two hours of track action to watch.

Not only did F1 deprive the fans of their money’s worth, but it also exceeded the time the Strip should’ve been closed for. At the end of the day, it’s a normal road, not to mention one of the most happening ones in the world, especially at night. Needless to say, it was disruptive. When F1 journalist Lawrence Barretto asked Sergio Perez about the disruptive day of running, he replied, “I’m very sorry for the fans that this happened. I’m sure we’re going to be able to put on a nice race, a nice race weekend.”

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Perez believes that, despite the early snags, the weekend will be one to remember. For fans. But will it be one to forget for him and Red Bull?

Is Sergio Perez confident about Red Bull’s chances in Las Vegas?

Remember how Red Bull struggled in Singapore? Street circuits have been a little tricky for the Milton-Keynes team this season. Additionally, cold temperatures don’t suit Red Bull’s slow tire degradation rate. With temperatures expected to drop as low as 4C during the weekend, all of this added to Perez & Co.’s wariness coming into Vegas. When Singapore happened, and Red Bull messed up its setup, Ferrari capitalized. With its Monza-esque layout, the Las Vegas Street Circuit has been looking good for Ferrari. Perez thinks so, too.

On Thursday, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc mentioned how his car would be strong around the track. Perez was asked if he was confident about Red Bull’s chances in qualifying and the race. He echoed Leclerc’s comments, saying, “We’ll see tomorrow. I think Ferrari is looking very strong. Not just on the pace. When you look at their footage, their onboards, they seem to be able to find something.” Even so, the Mexican believes Red Bull won’t have a Singapore repeat. “Come race day, I think we’re going to be there,” he added.

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Where do you think Sergio Perez and Red Bull will stack up at the Las Vegas GP?