35,000 Fans Getting Paid After $3 Million Settlement for 2023 Vegas Grand Prix Ticket Lawsuit

^{The Las Vegas Grand Prix has come a long way since the 2023 manhole cover incident. The race now has a 10-year extension and a $3 million settlement on the way for ticket holders affected by that first year. (Photo: courtesy of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority)}

The Las Vegas Grand Prix and its owner, Liberty Media, have agreed to pay nearly $3.05 million to settle a class-action lawsuit stemming from the inaugural Las Vegas Strip Formula 1 race. The announcement doesn't come as much of a surprise to the plaintiffs, since this suit received preliminary approval earlier this year, in March.

The lawsuit, filed in 2023, represents approximately 35,000 ticket holders whose admission to the second practice session before the race was revoked without cause.

What Went Wrong in 2023

This all stems from an incident during the first practice session, which ended after less than 10 minutes when a loose drain cover on the track damaged Carlos Sainz's Ferrari. Race organizers responded by canceling admission to the second practice session for the thousands of ticket holders who had paid to attend.

The fans in attendance for the first Las Vegas Grand Prix were furious over the cancellations. Race organizers attempted to do damage control by offering $200 merchandise vouchers to single-day ticket holders.

The payouts didn't go far, with a hoodie costing $160. The $200 was like a slap in the face to high roller ticket holders who paid as much as $50,000 for Paddock Club passes. Even international media mocked the effort by race organizers.

Since that rough start, the last two Las Vegas Grand Prix (LVGP) races have been smooth, and race organizers even signed a signed a 10-year extension in June.

Big Headache, Small Payout Coming Soon

The settlement of exactly $3,047,986 will be split among as many as 35,000 people participating in the lawsuit. The actual distributions won't be known until all interested parties make a claim and the final hearing on November 4 is complete.

If the settlement is split evenly, the average payout would be about $87 per person. That's enough to buy a hat and t-shirt at the LVGP store or a go-kart session at Grand Prix Plaza.

That will only be the case if all ticket holders submit a claim, which isn’t likely. Even so, it may not be much more than that $87. Anyone who purchased their tickets directly from LVGP, Liberty Media, or Ticketmaster will automatically receive a cash payment. It will be sent to their last known email address.

Anyone who received a ticket from someone other than the defendants can submit a claim form to receive a cash payout from the class action settlement. Distributions will be different depending on the ticket:

• Those who bought Thursday-only tickets will receive a payment based on the average ticket price and the value of the second practice that was canceled.
• Those who purchased three-day tickets will receive a payment based on the average price of a three-day ticket.

Claims must be submitted on LVGP2023TicketSettlement.com, postmarked no later than Aug. 27, 2026. The deadline to opt out of or object to the settlement was June 28, 2026, and has now passed.