Explained: Why fans were vacated from the stands before F1 Las Vegas GP FP1

After a short first practice session of the 2023 F1 Las Vegas GP, fans were asked to leave the stands and go home, even though there was going to be a second practice session. The second practice session was delayed by two and a half hours due to the drain pipe cover fiasco in the first practice session.

Once both the practice sessions were over and the day finally came to an end, the CEOs of Las Vegas GP and F1 issued a statement explaining the entire situation.

In the statement, they initially addressed the decision to close off the fan areas and send them home, but further gave their reasoning for it.

“We made the decision to close the fan areas that are under LVGP’s purview at 1:30 AM PT and send fans home. Let us explain why,” the statement read.

The CEOs first explained that they were concerned for the security officials that were working around the clock to ensure a safe environment around the circuit. Since they were asked to work late at night for the next three days, they let the fans go.

Next, they addressed how the transportation team, who were responsible for taking fans back to their hotels, were not allowed to legally and safely drive buses past a certain amount of time. Since the time was gradually shifting past what the federal law allows, fans were sent back.

“First, we were concerned about our public safety and security officials who had been in service for a long time and who are being asked to work for the next three nights. We thank Clark County’s Metro. Second, we were concerned about our transportation employees, who are responsible for driving our fans back to hotels. By Federal law, they were bumping up against the amount of time they can legally and safely drive buses,” the statement added.

Lastly, F1 and Las Vegas GP CEOs claimed that the hospitality staff around the circuit needed time to clean and resupply the fan areas with resources to ensure a better fan experience for the rest of the weekend.

"Finally, our hospitality staff needed the ability to clean and resupply our guest areas to ensure that the fan experience is optimal for everyone over the coming days,” the statement concluded.

Overall, the reason why the fans were asked to leave was because the second practice session got delayed and the schedule for services provided by F1 was getting tight.

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Max Verstappen not impressed by the 2023 F1 Las Vegas GP track

Max Verstappen is not the biggest fan of the 2023 F1 Las Vegas GP track. When Sportskeeda asked the Red Bull star about the new circuit, he claimed that it was not too exciting for him.

"I don’t think it's that exciting, that's the only thing. But I think naturally already for me, street circuits are not very exciting, especially with these new cars are too heavy. Especially also when you have low grip, that doesn’t help," he said.

"Obviously the scenery will look great driving through the strip but the layout itself is not the most exciting. I think in an F1 car, it’s a lot of fun with high speed corners so yeah, around here there are not many high speed corners,” the three-time world champion added.

Up until now, Max Verstappen has not topped any of the three practice session table.