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The inaugural Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix has been anything but smooth sailing for the racing series.
And now it appears the chickens have come home to roost.
Dimopoulos Law Firm and co-counsel JK Legal & Consulting filed a class action lawsuit on Friday in Nevada District Court on behalf of 35,000 fans who purchased tickets to watch Thursday’s practice session, but were unable to do so.
That according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The issue at hand involves Thursday’s first and second practice sessions. The first session was halted, and eventually canceled, after just nine minutes when Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz struck a manhole cover that was not properly welded down.
The incident destroyed Sainz’s car and repairs had to be made to the track.
Due to the repairs, the following session was postponed more than two hours. Formula 1 and LVGP organizers then forced fans to leave the circuit due to staffing issues.
Formula 1 offered fans $200 merchandise vouchers in response to the incident.
It also offered a statement on Saturday trying to explain its reasoning.
“Our top priority at Formula 1 is the safety and security of our drivers, employees, and fans,” the statement read. Responsibility for the oversight of a Formula 1 event falls with Formula 1 as the commercial rights holder of the sport, the FIA as the regulatory body, and the local promoter, in this case the Las Vegas Grand Prix. This is important for those who are new to racing to understand.”
Lawyers, however, didn’t see things the same way.
“We will vindicate the rights of the fans that traveled great distances and paid small fortunes to attend, but were deprived of the experience,” Dimopoulos Law Firm owner and lead attorney Steve Dimopoulos said in a statement.
The inaugural Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix begins at 10 p.m. local time on Saturday night and can be seen on ESPN.