Group of fans files class action lawsuit against Formula 1 Grand Prix in Las Vegas

Two law firms filed a class action lawsuit against the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Las Vegas. It is a legal action on behalf of at least 35,000 people who bought tickets for Thursday's practice run, which was canceled when Carlos Sainz's Ferrari was damaged in an accident. The media detailed that the highly anticipated first action on the circuit lasted just over eight minutes before stopping.

"Dimopoulos Law Firm and co-counsel JK Legal & Consulting said they had filed a class-action lawsuit against the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix (LVGP) in Nevada state court on Friday on behalf of the people who purchased tickets for the practice run," reported this Sunday Reuters, which spoke with sources related to the matter.

The lawsuit named Formula One owners and race promoters Liberty Media Corporation, DBA Formula One Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix and TAB Contractors Inc as defendants.

'Our priority is the safety of our drivers'

Meanwhile, Renee Wilm, executive director of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, and Stefano Domenicali, executive director of Formula 1, issued a statement on the situation. They explained that the cancelation of the event was due to safety measures.

"Our top priority at Formula 1 is the safety and security of our drivers, employees, and fans. 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," they said in a statement published on the official Formula 1 website.

Likewise, they said, "We know this was disappointing. We hope our fans will understand based on this explanation that we had to balance many interests, including the safety and security of all participants and the fan experience over the whole race weekend."

Formula 1 offered a $200 voucher at its merchandise store to those who were asked to leave the track. However, the organizers commented that they knew that this refund was not enough to repair the damage to their fans.

"A lot of fans probably don't even want that, they want their money back. There are also peripheral issues of what about the people that came in from out of town and paid for substantial air fare and hotels," Steve Dimopoulos told Reuters in a phone interview on Saturday.

The race took place on Friday and was completed without incident.