(Paris) Formula 1’s Australian Grand Prix will continue to be held in Melbourne until 2035, following a new ten-year deal announced by world championship promoter Formula 1 on Thursday.
Updated at 0:01
“The race has always been considered a favorite of fans, drivers and teams. Melbourne is an incredible and vibrant international city that is a perfect fit for our sport,” said F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali in a statement.
The race, launched in 1928, was held from 1985 to 1995 in Adelaide before moving the following year to Melbourne where it has been held continuously since, with the exception of 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.
Since joining the calendar, Melbourne used to kick off the F1 season – except in 2006, 2010 and 2022, when the championship started in Bahrain.
In 2023, in a calendar which remains to be perfected and could contain a record of 23 or 24 dates, it is unlikely that Australia will be the first Grand Prix of the year, specifies a source close to the negotiations between F1 and the local promoter.
419,000 spectators
For the first time in 2023, Formula 2 and Formula 3, the hatching series for young talents, will also take place in Melbourne on the same weekend as F1.
“This is a sensational announcement which is just great for Melbourne and the State of Victoria,” said Australian Grand Prix chief Andrew Westacott.
As part of this renewed partnership, the Albert Park circuit will be renovated, with a modernization of the paddock and the pit lane.
Sydney, the other major Australian metropolis, had wanted to recover the Grand Prix, but it was Melbourne’s offer that was favored by F1.
“The Australian Grand Prix has never been so important, with more than 419,000 people heading to Albert Park for this year’s race” – won by Charles Leclerc with Ferrari, underlines Martin Pakula, Minister of Tourism of the State of Victoria, in the statement of the F1.
“We know how important this event is for our economy and that’s why we secured the longest extension of the race since it took place in Melbourne,” he applauded.
Formula 1’s popularity has reached new heights, thanks in part to the Netflix series Drive to Survivewhich attracted younger audiences and propelled the pilots to superstardom.