Sports

Las Vegas F1 Grand Prix 2023: Formula One Fans File Class Action Lawsuit Over Early Eviction

The lawsuit was filed against the Las Vegas Grand Prix and its owner, Liberty Media, in Nevada state and it seeks at least USD 30,000 in damages. The reason for early eviction from the venue was a water valve incident and the track was closed to spectators for safety and legal reasons

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
Carlos Sainz climbs out of his car damaged by a water valve cover during the first practice session
info_icon

Formula One fans upset at being forced to leave the Las Vegas Grand Prix venue early before the start of the second practice session filed a class-action lawsuit. Las Vegas-based Dimopoulos Law Firm and co-counsel JK Legal &  Consulting on Saturday filed the lawsuit against the Las Vegas Grand Prix and its owner, Liberty Media, in Nevada state court seeking at least $30,000 in damages. (More Motorsports News)

Those who bought tickets to race's opening night saw just nine minutes of action Thursday night before Carlos Sainz Jr ran over a water valve cover and damaged his Ferrari. Race officials inspected the course, which resulted in a 2 1/2-hour delay for the second session, which began at 2:30 a.m. local time on Friday. They also extended the practice session from an hour to 90 minutes.

Race officials have since offered a USD 200 discount at the official gift shop, but only for those who held single-night tickets Thursday. The majority of fans have three-day passes. F1 President Stefano Domenicali and Renee Wilm, CEO of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, issued a statement on Friday saying they closed the track to spectators for safety and legal reasons.     

"We have all been to events, like concerts, games and even other Formula 1 races, that have been canceled because of factors like weather or technical issues," the statement read. "It happens, and we hope people will understand."