The Australian Grand Prix will once again become the opening race for five seasons
The Formula 1 will stay in Melbourne until 2035. The new contract signed between the race organizers and F1 also grants the Australian Grand Prix the position of opening race five times over the next thirteen years.
It’s a festive day for Australian Formula 1 fans: the contract for the Australian Grand Prix has been extended until 2035. Moreover, the race will regain its position as the opening race of the season for five occasions.
« At the beginning of the season, taking into account Ramadan, taking into account Easter, taking into account other calendar constraints, having five races to kick off the season as the headline event in Melbourne is an excellent result. And that is the guaranteed minimum. » Andrew Westacott, CEO of AGPC (Australian Grand Prix Corporation), is delighted.
What we will observe is that during this period, we will either be race 1, race 2, or race 3, very early in the season. This is an excellent result. We saw 419,000 people here in 2022. We see that this continues, Andrew Westacott rejoices.
The Australian Grand Prix should be the opening race of the 2024 and 2025 seasons, and then three more times by 2035. The last time the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne was the first round of the calendar was in 2020. But just hours before the start of the free practice sessions, the Grand Prix was canceled due to the spread of the coronavirus.
