Carlos Sainz Photo Credit: F1
ESPNGolfRacingBy Arthur Weinstein on

The Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix week saw its first accident Tuesday, four days before the main event.

Spanish F1 star Carlos Sainz gets the blame, but there were plenty of laughs and no tears after the incident.

Here’s what happened: Sainz competed in the Netflix Cup, an exhibition golf event matching F1 drivers against PGA stars. The event is a promotion for two Netflix series, ‘Formula 1: Drive to Survive,’ which shows F1 drivers, and ‘Full Swing,’ a similar show featuring PGA stars.

Sainz and two-time PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas won the event. But Sainz proved to be a better golfer than he is a trophy holder, because in the post-match ceremony, he hoisted the trophy, only to promptly drop it.

As luck would have it, the trophy didn’t just get a ding or two, it broke into several pieces.

Sainz stood on stage looking sheepish, but everyone around him seemed to react as if this was the funniest thing they’d ever seen. Thomas came over, laughing hysterically, and put his arm around Sainz.

“Everyone gets a trophy!” Thomas shouted.

Here’s another look.

F1 drivers have had bad luck with trophies this year. In July, McLaren’s Lando Norris apologized after breaking Max Verstappen’s Hungarian Grand Prix trophy.

The inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix will be held Saturday night into Sunday morning, with the pre-race show on ESPN and ESPN+ beginning at 11:30 p.m. (ET)

[ESPN F1; Photo Credit: F1]

About Arthur Weinstein

Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.

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