- The first practice session in Las Vegas ended after eight minutes in a chaotic night for Formula 1
- A loose drain cover tore into Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari and fans had to leave
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A class action lawsuit has been filed against Formula One on behalf of 35,000 fans who were told to leave practice in Las Vegas on Thursday night between practice sessions.
Fans who paid $200 for tickets only saw nine minutes of racing due to the chaos that resulted in the first session being suspended and the second postponed.
A loose drain cover tore into Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari car, forcing the first practice session to be abandoned.
The second session was then delayed as organizers rushed to inspect every drain on the city’s $500 million walking tour.
During this time, fans were told to leave as Formula One bosses evacuated the area around the track.
A class action lawsuit has been filed against Formula 1 on behalf of 35,000 fans who were told to leave canceled training in Las Vegas on Thursday evening
The first training session was stopped after just eight minutes when a loose drain cover caused significant damage to two vehicles
When the second training session began at 2:30 a.m. local time, it took place in front of empty stands.
A statement at the time said: “Due to logistical considerations for our fans and our employees, we have decided to close all fan areas at the Las Vegas Grand Prix at 1:30 a.m. PT.”
Now the Dimopoulos law firm and its co-counsel JK Legal & Consulting have filed a class action lawsuit in Nevada state court against the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Las Vegas.
They say they are acting on behalf of “35,000 people who purchased tickets for Thursday’s training run, which was canceled after just nine minutes without a refund.”
The lawsuit accuses the defendants of breach of contract, negligence and deceptive trade practices.
“We will defend the rights of fans who traveled long distances and paid small fortunes to attend but were deprived of the experience,” said Steve Dimopoulos, owner and principal attorney at Dimopoulos Law Firm.
The defendants in the lawsuit are Liberty Media Corporation DBA Formula One Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix and TAB Contractors, Inc.
The Associate Press reported that Las Vegas Grand Prix officials took steps to improve relations with disgruntled fans by offering those with single-event tickets a $200 discount at the official gift shop.
Fans who paid up to $200 for the training session were quick to label it “ridiculous.”
Spectators were told to leave the second session after just eight minutes and five rounds
However, the offer does not apply to the majority of fans who purchased three-day tickets
The British television channel Sky Sports News captured the mood of the disappointed viewers.
One said, “Ridiculous!” We waited four hours and they gave us hope. At 2 a.m. they said, “We’re doing the race.” And then nothing, nothing happened. Now they’re telling us to leave, what a night.’
Another complained: “We came from Los Angeles and only flew for today.” “We spent money on the plane, tickets to this place and… nothing.”
A third said: “I’ve been here for the last two to three hours and now we’ve been asked to leave. “We weren’t sure if training would go ahead but fans were asked to leave the stadium. It was all kind of disappointing.’
A fourth also shed light on the mixed signals from the race management: “That was the big difference, the optimism, the hope that it would continue.”
“We caught for 10 minutes at the beginning, then we sat and waited.” “We hung out, the food was good, the drinks were good, but we sat and nothing happened.”
While another simply admitted: “It’s Vegas, baby!” “We were going to stay until 3am to watch training but it is what it is.”
When contacted by , Formula 1 declined to comment at this time.