Formula 1 fans infuriated at being forced to leave the Las Vegas Grand Prix venue early on the first night have filed a class-action lawsuit.
Las Vegas-based Dimopoulos Law Firm and co-counsel JK Legal & Consulting filed the lawsuit against the Las Vegas Grand Prix and its owner, Liberty Media, in Nevada state court seeking at least A$46,000 in damages.
“We cannot comment on the litigation,” the Las Vegas Grand Prix said in a statement.
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“Our focus is on ensuring that our fans have an entertaining experience in a safe and secure environment which is always our top priority.”
Some 35,000 people who bought tickets to the race’s opening night saw just nine minutes of action before Carlos Sainz ran over a drain cover and damaged his Ferrari.
Race officials inspected the course, which resulted in a several-hour delay for the second session, which began at 2.30am local time. They also extended the practice session from an hour to 90 minutes.
Race officials have since offered a $200 discount at the official gift shop, but only for those who held single-night tickets. 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 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 cancelled because of factors like weather or technical issues,” the statement read.
“It happens, and we hope people will understand.”