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Lando Norris topped the second practice session at the Las Vegas Grand Prix after a suspected loose drain cover suspended proceedings for more than 15 minutes.
A trackside marshal between Turns 16 and 17 identified a potentially loose road fixture, triggering race control to suspend the session as a precaution.
It came just as the field switched to the soft tire for qualifying simulation runs. Only seven drivers, one of whom was Norris, had completed a lap on softs, but even then most drivers were finding improvements with multiple laps.
Just over 20 minutes remained in the session, and the stoppage absorbed more than 15 of those minutes before the pit lane reopened with six minutes on the clock.
It was enough time for the field to filter onto the track in an orderly manner, and it should have been enough time for everyone to get one lap in, but the session was suspended again for what race control described as “track maintenance”, effectively calling time on running.
The FIA later confirmed the second suspension was again due to an unsecured drain cover before Turn 17.
It’s the second session in three years of the Las Vegas Grand Prix to be affected by loose road fixtures. FP1 in the race’s first-ever running in 2023 was called off after a loose water valve cover destroyed Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari just minutes into the session.
The dual suspensions left Norris, who had only just completed his flying lap before the suspensions, unchallenged in top spot.
Combined with pre-session rain encouraging drivers to avoid joining the track until almost 10 minutes into the session, FP2 concluded with very little running ahead of qualifying day.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli was just 0.029s adrift in second, while Charles Leclerc slotted into third, the Ferrari driver 0.161s off the pace.
Leclerc’s session was over even before the second red flag, however, when his gearbox gave up just before Turn 5, forcing him to park up behind the barriers.
The top three drivers all completed one soft-tire lap, as did Nico Hulkenberg, Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson from fourth to sixth.
Lance Stroll also completed a flying lap on softs, but the Canadian ended up in 11th.
George Russell was seventh and only 0.435s off the pace, but he was two sectors through a flying lap on softs — including a purple first sector — when the first red flag flew.
Alex Albon followed ahead of Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Stroll.
Pierre Gasly was 12th ahead of Carlos Sainz, Oscar Piastri, Yuki Tsunoda, Franco Folapinto, Oliver Bearman, Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon and Gabriel Bortoleto, all of whom were unable to set a lap on soft tires owing to the red flags.
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