Officials from the Las Vegas Grand Prix moved to patch things up with fans who were upset or dissatisfied that they didn’t receive what they had paid for on Thursday night.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. swept Friday night qualifying for Ferrari, helping the team bounce back from a disastrous first day of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
However, it does not result in a 1-2 start for the two Ferrari drivers in the race on Saturday night. During Thursday night’s opening practice, Sainz ran over a drainage valve cover, severely damaging his Ferrari. As a result, he is now driving a backup vehicle.
Sainz lost ten positions on the starting grid and will now start from the 12th position on Saturday night due to his necessity to switch to a backup vehicle for the remainder of the weekend. Ferrari attempted to contest the fine on the grounds that the track surface was to blame for the vehicle’s damage, but the FIA’s regulations did not allow for an exemption.
Following the qualifying run, Sainz was finding it difficult to strike a balance between the spectacle of Formula One’s first trip to Las Vegas in forty-one years and the harm done to the sporting component of the biggest event on the 22-race schedule of the series.
The race, which uses the Strip and includes multiple iconic Las Vegas sites, cost $500 million to produce for Formula One and its owner Liberty Media. This year’s race is the most costly of the season to attend and the third in the United States, more than in any other nation.
Leclerc expressed his sadness at the comments made about the disastrous opening day. Track officials had to stop practice nine minutes into the first session to fix all the valve covers that needed to be fixed. The second practice began two and a half hours later at 2:30 a.m. and continued until 4 a.m. Prior to the second practice, fans were asked to leave.
Officials from the Las Vegas Grand Prix moved to patch things up with fans who were upset or dissatisfied that they didn’t receive what they had paid for on Thursday night.
A $200 discount was available to single-event ticket holders at the official gift shop. However, there were two major issues with that proposal. The vast majority of fans who bought three-day passes are exempt from it. Furthermore, the $200 gesture is completely ineffective.
In the gift shop, a single quarter-zip racing team pullover costs $200, not including sales tax.
