F1′s offer of $200 discount for Thursday Las Vegas Grand Prix ticketholders doesn’t go far

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas Grand Prix officials took steps to mend relations with Formula One fans who were angered or disappointed about not getting what they paid for Thursday night by offering those with single-event tickets a $200 discount at the official gift shop.

Two problems.

The offer doesn’t apply to the majority of fans who purchased three-day passes. And the $200 gesture doesn’t go far — at all.

There are a number of ways, though, to take advantage of the $200.

Someone could spend it all on one item, such as a quarter-zip racing team pullover, but that doesn’t cover the roughly 8% Nevada sales tax. For a little more bang for the buck, consider a $160 racing team sweatshirt and a $40 Las Vegas Grand Prix baseball cap, though again the tax would be on the consumer.

The merchandise tent is split into the more expensive team merch on the right side and the bargain-bin-by-comparison general Las Vegas Grand Prix items on the left.

So to make $200 go the furthest, consider staying to the left side by the getting that $40 cap, a $60 long-sleeved T-shirt, a $42 T-shirt and a $35 beanie with $23 left over to pay for the sales tax.

Race officials found themselves wanting to make amends after a rough start to the much-anticipated Formula One race on the Las Vegas Strip.

The first practice session ended after Carlos Sainz Jr. ran over a water valve cover and damaged his Ferrari and the race’s reputation. Race officials inspected the course, which resulted in a 2 1/2-hour delay for the second session, which began at 2:30 a.m. local time Friday. They also extended the practice session from an hour to 90 minutes.

However, fans were left fuming when they were told to exit the facilities before the second practice, meaning they got in only nine minutes of any kind of race viewing.

Thus, the decision to offer the $200 credit.

“We appreciate your patience while we remedied the situation,” race officials said in an open letter to fans. “This was not a decision we took lightly.”

The Continental Tire Main Event, a college basketball tournament in Las Vegas that began Friday, took a dig at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

“Hey Vegas…our practices started on-time!” the tournament posted on X.

Saint Mary’s, San Diego State, Xavier and Washington are competing in that tournament at nearby T-Mobile Arena.

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