Matt Weaver
A class action lawsuit has been filed against the Las Vegas Grand Prix and the Formula 1 commercial rights holders after ticketholders were forced to leave the venue before the start of the second practice early on Saturday.
Dimopoulos Law Firm and co-counsel JK Legal & Consulting, both out of Las Vegas, have filed the suit and are seeking at least $30,000 in damages.
Those who purchased tickets to the opening night of track action saw just nine minutes of the first session of practice when Carlos Sainz ran over a water valve cover that damaged the chassis of his SF-23 Ferrari.
Several other teams reported damage, including Esteban Ocon of Alpine, and the incident resulted in the first practice being canceled so that officials could assess and repair other manhole covers that could have been similarly dislodged.
This resulted in the second practice, later that early morning, being delayed two and a half hours to shortly after 2:30 local time, a session that was extended 30 additional minutes to 90 minutes to make up for the lost time in the first practice.
However, the grandstands were cleared before the second practice session could begin, with F1 president Stefano Domenicali and Grand Prix CEO Renee Wilm saying they closed the track to spectators for logistical, safety, and legal reasons.
A statement, released the next day, did little to make up for those who had spent thousands of dollars to attend that first day of track action.
“First, we were concerned about our public safety and security officials who had been in service for a long time and who are being asked to work for the next three nights. We thank Clark County’s Metro Police Department, Department of Public Works and other public safety officials for their incredible support during the event and also as we reopened the track early this morning.”
“Second, we were concerned about our transportation employees who are responsible for driving our fans back to hotels. By Federal law, they were bumping up against the amount of time they can legally and safely drive buses.”
“Finally, our hospitality staff needed the ability to clean and resupply our guest areas to ensure that the fan experience is optimal for everyone over the coming days.”
“We know this was disappointing. We hope our fans will understand based on this explanation that we had to balance many interests, including the safety and security of all participants and the fan experience over the whole race weekend.”
Formula 1 press release
Formula 1 offered fans who purchased tickets to Friday a $200 gift certificate to be used in its official online store, a meager gesture considering what little that could purchase.
Thus, the lawsuit seeks to compensate further fans who spent thousands of dollars to attend on Friday but were told instead to watch from their hotel rooms due to the track not being prepared for showtime.
Related: The 189 most watched motorsports events of 2023; and what it means
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.
