Melbourne will host Formula 1 races until 2035

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»One of the most popular courses for drivers, fans and teams«: Formula 1 will be making a guest appearance in Melbourne for another ten years

Photo: Con Chronis / AFP

Formula 1 will drive in Melbourne during its guest appearances in Australia until 2035.

The track operators in the Australian state of Victoria and those responsible for the premier class agreed to extend their contract three years before their current agreement expired.

Both sides did not provide any information on the financial details of the long-term agreement.

What is new is that from the coming season, Formula 2 and Formula 3 will also be making stops.

There have been 25 Formula 1 races in Albert Park since 1996, and due to the corona pandemic there was no Grand Prix in Australia in 2020 and 2021.

According to official figures, 419,000 spectators came to the return in April over the three days of the race weekend.

There is no date for the 2023 race yet.

"The track in Melbourne," said Italian Formula 1 Managing Director Stefano Domenicali in a statement from his organization, "is one of the most popular courses with drivers, fans and teams."

The local authorities also welcomed the long-term agreement.

"We recognize the importance of this event every year for our economy, which is why we have extended our contract for an unprecedented period," said Victoria's Tourism Minister Martin Pakula.

Some race tracks on the test bench

The long-term agreement is also good news for Melbourne because other Grand Prix races whose contracts only run until 2022 or 2024, including traditional circuits such as Monaco (2022), Spa in Belgium (2022) and the course in Italy Monza (2024) are apparently under scrutiny.

On February 11, the operators of Formula 1 had extended the contract with the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) up to and including 2036 – an unprecedented contract period.

Melbourne replaced Adelaide in 1995 after ten years as the venue for the Grand Prix race Down Under.

Since then, the Formula 1 World Championship has been held in Albert Park without interruption, with the exception of the Corona years 2021 and 2022.

Most of the time, Australia was also the host of the season opener.

Only in 2006 and 2010 and this year did the first World Championship race of the season take place in Bahrain.

It is unlikely that the inaugural race will return to Melbourne next year.

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