LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Part of a class action lawsuit between Formula 1 ticket holders, Liberty Media, the Las Vegas Grand Prix, and Las Vegas Paving has been dismissed.
This stems from the 2023 incident where then-Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz and then-Alpine driver Esteban Ocan ran over a valve cover, damaging their vehicles. Repairs and track maintenance took hours, which led to ticket holders being removed from spectator areas before the second practice session resumed.
At the time, race officials told me that spectators were removed in an effort to keep people safe.
"We were concerned about our public safety and security officials who had been in service for a long time and who are being asked to work for the next three nights," race officials said. "We were concerned about our transportation employees who are responsible for driving our fans back to hotels. By Federal law, they were bumping up against the amount of time they can legally and safely drive buses. Finally, our hospitality staff needed the ability to clean and resupply our guest areas to ensure that the fan experience is optimal for everyone over the coming days."
The day after the incident, a class action lawsuit was filed against F1's parent company, Liberty Media, the Las Vegas Grand Prix, and Las Vegas Paving by ticket holders who claimed they should be reimbursed after being removed before the second practice session.
On Feb. 19, a federal judge ruled that part of that lawsuit will be dismissed.
You can read the full ruling below.
Federal court records state that while the ticket holders have shown they "have plead a cognizable legal injury sufficient to survive the Motion to Dismiss", they have failed to sufficiently prove their breach of contract and Nevada Deceptive Trade Practice Act claims.
In previous records, the ticket holders told the judge they don't intend to move forward with their negligence claim against any of the defendants. That was the only issue facing Las Vegas Paving and the case against them has been dismissed.
As for next steps, attorneys for the ticket holders have until March 12 to file an amended complaint to amend their breach of contract claim.
