Formula 1 fans file lawsuit against the Las Vegas Grand Prix
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Formula One fans upset at being forced to leave the Las Vegas Grand Prix venue early Friday morning before the start of second practice have filed a class-action lawsuit.
Las Vegas-based law firm Dimopoulos and its co-counsel JK Legal & Consulting filed a lawsuit in Nevada state court against the Las Vegas Grand Prix and its owner Liberty Media, seeking at least $30,000 in damages.
“We cannot comment on the litigation,” the Las Vegas Grand Prix said in a statement. “Our focus is providing our fans with an entertaining experience in a safe environment, which is always our top priority.”
Those who bought tickets for the opening night of the race saw just nine minutes of action on Thursday night before Carlos Sainz Jr. drove over a water valve cover and damaged his Ferrari. Race officials inspected the track, resulting in a two-and-a-half-hour delay for the second session, which began at 2:30 a.m. local time on Friday. They also extended the exercise session from one hour to 90 minutes.
Since then, race officials have offered a $200 discount at the official gift shop, but only to those who had one-night tickets on Thursday. The majority of fans have three-day passes.
F1 president Stefano Domenicali and Las Vegas Grand Prix CEO Renee Wilm issued a statement on Friday saying they had closed the track to spectators for safety and legal reasons.
“We have all been to events such as concerts, games and even other Formula 1 races that were canceled due to factors such as weather or technical problems,” the statement said. “It’s happening and we hope people understand.”
