Liberty settles Vegas GP fan lawsuit for $3m

Liberty Media and Las Vegas Grand Prix, Inc. have agreed to pay more than $3 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by spectators affected by the disrupted opening night of Formula 1’s 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix, according to court filings and reports.

The settlement offer proposes $3,047,986 to be shared among class members. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that fans who bought Thursday-only tickets, along with some three-day pass holders, may be eligible for compensation.

The case stemmed from the first free practice session at the inaugural Las Vegas race, when a loose water-network or drain cover on the street circuit caused damage to multiple cars, including Carlos Sainz Jr.’s Ferrari. The incident forced a stoppage of roughly two and a half hours while officials inspected the track and carried out repairs.

By the time running was ready to resume, the delay had pushed the schedule deep into the night. Organizers then ordered spectators to leave before the next session began because of staffing and security-hour constraints, leaving thousands of paying fans without the track action they had come to watch.

In the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, the court said in Jack Diep, et. al. v. Liberty Media Corporation, et. al. that, “A settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit between defendants Liberty Media Corporation and Las Vegas Grand Prix, Inc and persons or entities who alleged that they, and the settlement class, are entitled to partial refunds of the ticket price for the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix because [the] defendants had to delay the FP2 free practice session and subsequently revoked the settlement class’s admission without cause before the FP2 free practice session began.” The court added that, “The proposed settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing by [the] defendants,” and said the defendants “deny all allegations of wrongdoing and disclaim all liability regarding all claims in the lawsuit.”

The lawsuit was originally filed in 2023 seeking $5 billion in damages. Part of the case was dismissed in February 2025 after that figure was deemed unrealistic or “astronomical,” but an amended complaint kept the litigation alive until both sides agreed to settle, bringing a legal end to one of the biggest off-track fallouts from Formula 1’s first Las Vegas weekend.