It’s safe to say that the Las Vegas Grand Prix, a supposed new crown jewel in the global F1 schedule, could not have gotten off to a worse start on Thursday night.
Fans in attendance for a late night practice session saw all of nine minutes of action before the session was delayed and eventually cancelled after a concrete frame around a water valve cover came loose and caused massive damage to Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari.
Formula 1 was forced to inspect all of the other water valve covers around the circuit and make necessary improvements, which delayed the start of the second free practice session significantly.
The Las Vegas schedule – which is already arguably the worst of any race for American fans during the entire season – got even worse. Instead of a 3:00 a.m. ET start time for FP2, the session was delayed until 4:30 ET – and because of the delay, ticketed fans in attendance were removed from the grandstands and hospitality areas.
Local police cleared the grandstand areas just before the start of the session – after fans had sat and waited for hours. According to the FIA, the decision was made due to “logistical concerns.”
Via The Athletic:
“Given the lateness of the hour and the logistical concerns regarding the safe movement of fans and employees out of the circuit, LVGP made the difficult decision to close the fan zones prior to the beginning of Free Practice 2.”
Last-minute ticket prices for each Las Vegas session have been plummeting as it’s become clear that F1 greatly overestimated demand, but fans who arrived on Thursday intending to see practice could be out a huge sum of money. In 2022, Thursday practice ticket prices were selling for more than $900 dollars.
Fans were understandably upset:
F1 fans at Las Vegas today:
– Spent thousands to be there
– Saw 9 minutes of FP1
– Waited HOURS for next session
– Kicked out just before FP2 starts
– F1 themselves haven’t apologised
– Probably not getting a refundI feel so bad 😞
— Matt Gallagher (@MattP1Gallagher) November 17, 2023
I’m fascinated by the number they come with for the final true financial impact of this year’s F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Strip is dead. Restaurants are empty. Shows are dark. They’re telling everyone without a race ticket to stay away. It’s just a cold, miserable scene so far.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) November 17, 2023
most expensive gp of the year and you're telling me the fans only got to see 9 minutes of action on the first day and now they're being kicked out? that's absolutely insanepic.twitter.com/LKv3VBNczP https://t.co/Ci0IpVYLUE
— clara (@leclercsletters) November 17, 2023
Drivers are complaining
Teams are complaining
Fans are complaining
Tickets aren’t selling
The small crowd that attended practices got kicked outWhat more do they need to realize the whole race weekend is a disaster?
— 하린¹ ¹⁶ (@lestappenwdc) November 17, 2023
Fans that were kicked out from FP2 today are fuming on Reddit:
"$200+fees Thursday-only ticket was the only ticket we could responsibly afford. […] We waited 6 hours in the cold for literally any info on FP2. […] They kicked us all out… AND HAD THE SESSION ANYWAY." #F1
— Simon Dau (@there_is_no_if) November 17, 2023
@F1 @fia @SkySportsF1 @TMZ_Sports @LewisHamilton @ESPNF1 never been more disappointed to be an f1 fan. A fan for nearly 40 years and getting kicked out of the event and can’t watch fp2 pic.twitter.com/LdD4v1xRyz
— Alan Taylor (@alantaylor1) November 17, 2023
