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FIA releases statement and sticks its hand in its pocket

F1 compensate 'Thursday-only' ticket holders with shopping credit

18 November 2023 at 04:11
Last update 18 November 2023 at 04:37
  • Toby McLuskie

The first day of racing in Las Vegas may go down in the books as a travesty. Not only because of a loose manhole cover, but also the way fans, who bought tickets, were directed away from the fan zones even before FP2. Safety could no longer be guaranteed, resulting in a second free practice with no F1 fans.

In the first free practice session, as is now known, a manhole cover was loose on the track, causing huge damage to Carlos Sainz, among others. The session was not resumed, and only eight minutes were raced. Due to work, the second free practice session was also significantly delayed. So fans could not witness this again. So they saw only eight minutes of the Formula 1 spectacle.

Las Vegas victims get mail with compensation

After the events, the organisers of the Grand Prix said in a statement that such incidents could happen. Fans who only have a 'Thursday-only ticket' received a notification in their mailbox about compensation for the missed action at the circuit. The fans received the following message:

"There is no higher priority at a Formula 1 race than the safety and security of drivers, fans and staff alike. We appreciate your patience while we remedied the situation. This was not a decision we took lightly. As a thank you for your support, we would like to offer you a $200 voucher to the Las Vegas Grand Prix Official Shop. With a full round of practice successfully completed, we look forward to providing a safe and entertaining race weekend for all," said the Las Vegas Grand Prix organisers.