(Motorsport-Total.com) – Formula 1 and the Las Vegas Grand Prix have agreed to a settlement of around three million US dollars – more precisely 3,047,986 US dollars – with which fans of the first event in the city of gamblers in 2023 are to be compensated.
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At the time, Formula 1 had experienced a turbulent debut evening in Las Vegas, where Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz had run over a manhole cover that had come loose and damaged his Ferrari. Subsequently, all other manhole covers on the track were checked again.
The consequence: The second free practice could only be started with a delay – at 2:30 AM local time. However, this took place in front of empty grandstands. The waiting fans, on the other hand, were sent home and removed from the grandstands, as the legally maximum permissible working hours of the security personnel expired before the late end of the session.
“For logistical reasons for our fans and our staff, we decided to close all fan areas at 1:30 AM,” read an initial statement from the organizer at the time.
For many fans, this was naturally annoying, as they had come to Las Vegas specifically to see Formula 1 and had also paid for the exorbitantly expensive tickets. Especially fans who only had tickets for practice could only see cars driving for eight minutes in the first practice before being sent away after hours of waiting.
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At least they received a small compensation at the time: a voucher for 200 US dollars for the official merchandise shop. However, there was to be no refund.
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Therefore, a class-action lawsuit was filed to be adequately compensated for the cancellation. An initial claim of three billion US dollars was rejected in 2025, and now a settlement of three million US dollars has been agreed upon.
The settlement does not mean that Formula 1, Liberty Media, or the Las Vegas Grand Prix have admitted any wrongdoing. The companies deny any liability, and the agreement was reached to avoid a lengthy legal dispute. A federal judge is scheduled to rule on the final approval of the settlement on November 4, 2026.
All fans with a Thursday-only ticket or the three-day ticket package are entitled to a refund. Fans who purchased tickets directly through the Las Vegas Grand Prix or Ticketmaster do not need to apply. However, those who used other portals must submit an application by August 27, 2026.
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