The Australian Grand Prix is one of the best-loved races of the Formula 1 World Championship – and now its future has been secured for the next 13 years.
This morning, Formula 1 and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation confirmed that the Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne’s iconic Albert Park Circuit will stay on the F1 calendar “until at least 2035”.
Albert Park’s contract was set to expire at the end of 2025, so to see that it’s been extended for another decade is amazing news – especially at a time when more and more races are being added to the F1 calendar, and some iconic circuits are potentially facing the chopping block.
Fans have already been quick to express their relief on social media, with one Instagram commenter joking “please tell me I’m not the only one that got scared for a moment?”
There’s also been a degree of surprise about how generous the renewal is. “Wow 2035, now that’s a very long contract, imagine how the cars could look then,” another commenter shared.
This might be good news for revheads, but not good news for New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet, who earlier this year revealed his desire to poach the race from Melbourne and bring it to Sydney after 2025. (The Australian Grand Prix was previously hosted in Adelaide from 1985 to 1995.)
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The 2022 Formula 1 World Championship will race at 22 circuits around the world, and next year it’ll race at 23 – a record number. Recent additions to the calendar have included the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last year, the Miami Grand Prix this year, and the Las Vegas Grand Prix next year.
It’s no coincidence that by 2023 there’ll be 3 races in the United States. F1 is currently enjoying an unprecedented rise in popularity in America – in no small part thanks to the success of Netflix’s Drive To Survive – and F1’s owners, Liberty Media, are keen to continue growing their US audience.
Thankfully, Australia will stay on the calendar for a while. Up the lads.
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