F1 News: Mercedes Chief Has Solution To Angry Fans After Vegas Grand Prix

Following the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has proposed a solution to appease fans disappointed by the event's scheduling issues. The second free practice session was significantly delayed, leading to frustration among the spectators.

Key Takeaways:

Event Delays and Damages: The Las Vegas Grand Prix faced a postponement of the second free practice session by two-and-a-half hours due to unsecured manhole covers, resulting in damage to the cars of Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Alpine's Esteban Ocon.
Spectator Inconvenience: Fans were sent home as the event's security personnel reached their maximum working hours. Those who stayed were informed about the grandstand's closure only an hour before the delayed session was due to start.
Wolff's Perspective: Toto Wolff emphasized the need for better communication and expressed hope for compensating the affected fans. He suggested a "good package" for them in the next year's race, aiming to "pay them back for the unfortunate situation."

After a challenging Las Vegas Grand Prix, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff addressed the issues that plagued the event, particularly the delayed second free practice session. Highlighting the mishap where unsecured drain hole covers on the track led to significant damage to the cars of Carlos Sainz of Ferrari and Esteban Ocon of Alpine. he offered a solution to the annoyed fans.

This delay had a direct impact on over 30,000 people at the event. Many spectators, who had been waiting for the session to commence were sent home due to the security personnel reaching their maximum working hours. Wolff pointed out the lack of communication as a key issue, noting that fans who remained were only informed about the closure of the grandstands an hour before the session was set to start.

Speaking to Motorsport Week, Wolff stressed the importance of communication in such situations and expressed his hope to compensate the fans who were adversely affected.

"Often communication can do a lot to make the situation better,” he said. "I hope for the people that ended up upset for the right reasons we can find a good package for next year so they can enjoy the race and in a way maybe we can pay them back for the unfortunate situation."

The event was also challenging for Wolff personally. During a press conference, he faced criticism for his reaction to a journalist's comment about the manhole cover incident.

Wolff downplayed the significance of the track's bad luck earlier in the week, expressing frustration that the media did not focus enough on the positive aspects of the Las Vegas race. Of course, at that point of the week, there was very little to celebrate. This stance was subsequently labelled as "hypocritical" by Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.