What happens in Vegas ends in litigation.
Formula 1 is in Sin City this weekend for the much-hyped Las Vegas Grand Prix…and so far it’s been a disaster.
Fans were already upset with F1 after the series blocked all views of the track from sidewalks and pedestrian bridges in order to force spectators to buy their insanely-priced tickets to the 3-day event
And then as the cars finally hit the track for the first practice session, fans only got to see 9 minutes of racing before Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz hit a loose drain cover on the Las Vegas Strip, causing his car to erupt into a shower of sparks and the first practice session to be cancelled.
Officials worked through the night on Thursday and into early hours on Friday to get the track ready for the next practice session, which was pushed back before eventually getting underway at 2:30 AM local time – but by that point, the stands were empty.
Apparently F1 decided to kick everybody out before the second practice session got back underway, even if they had bought tickets for the event, which were going for $200 just for that session and ran thousands of dollars for the entire weekend.
A statement from Formula 1 said:
“Due to logistical considerations for our fans and our staff, we have made the determination that we will be closing all Las Vegas Grand Prix fan areas at 1:30am PT.”
Well as you can imagine, fans weren’t happy…
Surely F1 would make it right for fans who paid for tickets and were then kicked out of the stands after only 9 minutes of action on the track, right?
Well, the series announced yesterday that they would not be offering refunds, but would give fans…a $200 voucher to buy F1 merch.
Oh, and let’s take a look at the merchandise prices at the race…
So yeah, basically they’re giving fans a t-shirt and a hoodie and telling them they should be happy and go away.
But of course the offer is really more of an insult than anything, after fans dropped thousands and thousands of dollars to attend what people are calling the “Fyre Fest” of Formula 1.
And now, a class action lawsuit has been filed against F1 on behalf of ticket holders who were kicked out of the stands after only 9 minutes of action on the track.
The lawsuit, filed in Nevada state court by Dimopoulos Law Firm and JK Legal & Consulting on behalf of “35,000 people who purchased tickets to Thursday’s practice run that was canceled after only nine minutes without refunds,” accuses F1 and parent company Liberty Media of breach of contract, negligence, and deceptive trade practices.
According to lead attorney Steven Dimopoulos:
“We will vindicate the rights of the fans that traveled great distances and paid small fortunes to attend, but were deprived of the experience.”
What a mess this whole thing has turned out to be…
