Australian Grand Prix on track for another record crowd
The opening round of the 2025 Formula 1 season is set to break crowd records for another year.
MELBOURNE—Australian Grand Prix officials are confident that the 2025 event will set crowd records after reconfiguring fan areas within the parkland.
"We've had a real focus on putting the fan at the centre of the experience this year," CEO of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC) Travis Auld told raceweek ahead of the Grand Prix.
"I think we'll have another record crowd, the race is going to be incredible, and we might end up with an Aussie on the podium, so make the most of it."
"We've sold enough tickets [for a record], they've got to turn up now, but generally if you buy a ticket to the Grand Prix, you come along, no matter what."
Before the gates had opened, the promoters had sold more tickets than attendees at the 2024 race. The increased capacity made possible after reorganising fan precincts into four core zones, cutting access to other areas, and installing a second temporary pontoon bridge over Albert Park Lake.
Interest in the event was also boosted by its return to the top of the calendar as the season opener.
"We had over 452,000 here in 2024, and we hope that we out do that," said AGPC chief events officer Tom Mottram.
"Given the infrastructure improvements of an additional pontoon and additional overpasses, we make sure that threshold that we keep of daily capacity can be slightly increased."
"The space around isn't necessarily what keeps our daily capacity down, it's more around things like public transport," said Mottram.
"We'll be really lucky from next year to have Anzac Station at the northeast corner. That will help get people in and out a lot more swiftly than the trams do around the circuit."
"We're up to 49,007 temporary seats around the track, which is amazing because that is essentially a Marvel Stadium, in a temporary facility for only four days, and people snap them up."
Despite nibbling at the edges of annual records, the Grand Prix still has a way to go before challenging all-time status.
Watch every session of the Australian Grand Prix on Kayo Sports. Join now to get your first month for $1.
That record is held by 1995 event in Adelaide, after the street circuit crammed in 520,000 fans over the weekend for the final race before the move to Melbourne. It is recognised as the best-attended F1 race weekend in the sport's history, despite possibly even low-balling the total crowd size.
"We've been really clear about not wanting to extend the capacity to a point that impacts experience," said Auld.
"We've got a lot of demand, we can sell more tickets, but we want to make sure those are coming have a good time, so, we've invested in some infrastructure, but we've also launched a free live site."
The new site at Melbourne Park will be free to attend and has a capacity of up to 8,000 to watch the action live from Albert Park as well as live music and appearances from F1 drivers and other special guests.
