Unapologetic F1 on Vegas chaos: 'It happens'

It is November 18, 2023, and the author of this blog post is Laurence Edmondson, who has the role of F1 Editor.

Formula One recently released a statement regarding the chaotic opening night of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, without any apology, to clarify what really happened. They also kindly offered those who purchased single-day tickets with a voucher worth $200, which they can use to buy any merchandise at the race.

During the first practice session on Thursday evening, a water valve cover became detached on the Strip after just eight minutes. This led to significant harm to Carlos Sainz's Ferrari and excessive postponements to the evening's agenda.

Efforts to fix the circuit and avoid a recurrence of the problem went on until the late hours of the night. Fans were asked to leave because security personnel had to end their shifts before racing activities resumed at 2:30 a.m.

On Friday, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and Renee Wilm, CEO of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, released a comprehensive statement that outlined the series of events that led to the cancellation of the race. However, the statement did not contain a direct apology to the individuals who had purchased three-day passes, some of whom had paid as much as $50,000.

The blog post disregarded the unfortunate start by likening it to unsuccessful sporting and amusement events, indicating that such occurrences are normal.

The first day started off terribly with a 90-minute practice session that lasted until 4 a.m. There was no audience present in the grandstands. This was a complete disappointment after Formula One's previous claims that it could be "the best show in the world".

F1 released another message on Friday night, but they still didn't say sorry. However, they did announce that individuals who held a one-day pass for Friday would receive a coupon to purchase racing items.

No announcement has been made for anyone who has bought a three-day ticket regarding a refund or reduction in price.

The Las Vegas Grand Prix is not like other events that are organized by outsiders. Instead, it is being promoted directly by Formula One, which has invested more than $500 million in getting everything ready. This included buying a piece of land near the popular Strip, for which they paid $240 million. They used this land to construct the pit and paddock complex.

The complete message stated that the safety and protection of the drivers, personnel, and supporters are highly important to Formula 1. The accountability for supervising a Formula 1 event lies on Formula 1 as the proprietor of the sport's commercial rights, the regulatory agency FIA, and the event organizer, specifically the Las Vegas Grand Prix for this instance. It is necessary for individuals who are not familiar with racing to comprehend this fact.

Yesterday evening, around nine minutes into the opening Free Practice session, a cover for a water valve ruptured while on the straight section of Las Vegas Boulevard. The FIA, who is in charge of ensuring safety during the race, promptly halted the session so that we could examine the damaged cover and assess the state of the track. This particular incident has occurred previously at other race venues throughout the world.

As a safety measure, the water valve covers throughout the track were all removed and filled with a mixture of sand and asphalt. This action took roughly five hours to complete, from identifying the problem to fixing it. The reason for taking this precautionary step was to ensure the safety of everyone involved, including the drivers, trackside personnel, officials, and fans. We would like to express our gratitude to the contractors who swiftly addressed the issue. Safety is our top priority, and we will continue to make every effort to maintain a secure environment for everyone.

Consequently, the initial Free Practice was cut short. Then we proceeded with the second Free Practice session around 2:30 AM Pacific Time which lasted for an hour and a half.

Everyone involved agreed to hold the second Free Practice session at 2:30 AM PT so that the sporting fairness of the rest of the event could be maintained.

We wish to express our appreciation to the drivers, mechanics, and all teams who remained patient and dedicated last night in order to ensure that the session could be carried out successfully.

"Next, we can take a look at the experience of the fans."

The postponement of the second phase of Free Practice, which was moved from twelve o'clock midnight to two-thirty in the morning Pacific Time, posed potential hazards for both our staff and followers.

At 1:30 AM PT, we chose to shut down the areas designated for fans under LVGP's responsibility and instructed them to leave.

Allow us to clarify the reason behind this.

Initially, we were worried about the well-being of our staff members in public safety and security who have been working for an extended period and have been requested to serve for the upcoming three nights. We express gratitude towards the Clark County's Metro Police Department, Department of Public Works, and other public safety officials for their extraordinary assistance throughout the event and also when we launched the track earlier today.

Next, our transportation workers responsible for taking our fans to and from hotels were causing us worry. They were approaching the limit of the amount of time they could legally and securely operate buses according to federal regulations.

In conclusion, our team providing customer service needed to possess the skills to tidy up and restock our guest zones to guarantee that all fans have the best possible experience for the upcoming days.

We are aware that it was unpleasant news. However, we trust that our supporters will comprehend that we had to consider several priorities such as the welfare and protection of every individual involved and the overall satisfaction of the spectators throughout the entire racing weekend.

Many of us have attended occasions such as music concerts, sports games, and even other Formula 1 races that were called off due to reasons like unfavorable weather conditions or technical problems. These situations are not uncommon, and we anticipate that people would be understanding of such circumstances.

"What's the plan for tonight's solution?"

We have worked tirelessly during the night to make changes to our team arrangements for security, transportation, and hospitality so that we are capable of providing the utmost service to fans in case the race schedule is prolonged. Our aim is to deliver a memorable experience to all our patrons.

We are enthusiastic about the race happening today and express gratitude towards our complete team and supporters for backing us. We have high hopes for this event. So, let's resume the race now.