Disaster struck F1 fans in the crowds of Sin City in the first-ever session at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit. Less than ten minutes into the session, Carlos Sainz felt a huge bump and incurred heavy damage to his car from the track surface. Sainz brought out a red flag, and the session was not continued.

The incident was caused due to an oversight by the officials regarding the manhole covers on track. The exposed manholes had to be covered, and this was a time-consuming activity. During this, F1 fans in the stands were all escorted out of the venue. With FP2 right ahead, many fans were forced to miss out on the Formula One experience altogether. 

The angry fans were not easily granted refunds by any of the ticketing organizations and had essentially thrown away their money. Furious fans were further provoked when they were offered $200 vouchers as reimbursement. The desperate fans turned to legal aid to get compensation for the major inconveniences they suffered. 

The class-action lawsuit filed against F1 includes accusations of breach of contract, negligence, and deceptive trade practices. F1 has not acknowledged the controversy yet and has not issued an apology of any sort whatsoever.

Ralf Schumacher slams Las Vegas GP over Carlos Sainz’s penalty

The Las Vegas Grand Prix has come under fire for multiple incidents throughout its weekend. An exceedingly brief FP1 started it off, and the chaotic exit of fans from the venue followed. Even more controversial is the 10-place grid drop for Carlos Sainz, who suffered an incident with the track.

Sainz was forced to replace components beyond the allotted number for a season, which earned him a grid penalty. A driver or team did not cause the incident that compelled Ferrari to replace the components, so Ferrari requested an exception for Sainz. But to many fans’ dismay, the FIA declined this. Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher.

The German driver said the regulations that made Sainz remain with the penalty are “almost outrageous.” Ralf Schumacher also mentioned that there doesn’t seem to be a very clear solution to the problem, offering a team vote as a possible resolution.

There doesn’t seem to be a real solution. You could have done a team vote. As crazy as it sounds, there is no force majeure [in the regulations].
I find it unbelievable, almost outrageous, that Sainz will be punished twice.

Ralf Schumacher said, as reported by planetf1.com

Ralf Schumacher isn’t the first big F1 name to criticize the Las Vegas Grand Prix. World Champion Max Verstappen also laid heavily into the organization of the race. Verstappen had claimed that the Grand Prix had become more of a spectacle than a sporting event. More and more fans are starting to resonate with the Dutchman’s views as the weekend unfolds.

In case you missed it:

• Max Verstappen hits out at Toto Wolff for defending manhole incident, claims he ‘expected nothing less from him’
• “Frustrated and disappointed,” Carlos Sainz hits out at rivals for pushing for his Las Vegas GP penalty after securing P2 in Qualifying

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