For the first time in F1 history, racers took to the streets of Las Vegas. On the first night of the racing event disaster struck. Only 9 minutes into a practice race, Carlos Sainz Jr., a driver for Ferrari, drove over and dislodged a manhole cover. The cover ended up causing severe damage to the car, and Ferrari’s team would be unable to repair the racecar in time for the main event.
F1 proceeded to shut down the event for the day so the grounds crew could fill the manholes. Ferrari was forced to switch their driver into a different car which according to F1 rules required his starting place to be moved 10 spots back. Carlos Sainz himself said in a press interview, “I’m still disappointed about yesterday… i’m very mad, just hiding it.” This was the first of many press nightmares for the organization.
Fans did not approve of this move from F1, but they insisted because they couldn’t change the official rules for one situation. A decision was made to hold the races in Vegas late at night when Formula 1 fans in Europe would be able to watch. Ticket holders are upset over the European favoring especially because of the crazy high ticket prices.
Many people ended up paying over $1000 for the event. Prices were very expensive just a month ago, but they have dropped dramatically as the event approached. Ticket prices averaged $1700 for the main event, which is much more than any other F1 event around the world.
