It took just two hours for race day tickets to the 2024 event to completely sell out, following the biggest pre-registration for a sporting event in Ticketmaster Australia’s history.
The F1 Australian Grand Prix has recorded back-to-back four-day crowd records for each of the last two years, with 419,114 attending in 2022 and 444,631 in 2023. As FORMULA 1 continues to boom in popularity as a result of the Netflix Drive to Survive series, along with showcasing the fastest cars the global series has ever produced, the F1 Australian Grand Prix 2024 looks set to achieve yet another attendance record.
Of course, F1 headlines the event, with Australia yet again hosting the third round of the world championship following the opening races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. F1 will be joined for the second year running by the F2 and F3 categories, the international junior formulas where future F1 stars are developed. Each category will compete in one race on the Saturday and Sunday of the Grand Prix weekend. The local favourite Supercars will also be part of the show, with four races across the weekend, forming the second round of the 2024 Supercars Championship.
The F1 Australian Grand Prix 2024 will also be the second event to feature two Australian drivers, with crowd favourite and proud West Australian Daniel Ricciardo competing with the Visa Cash App RB and Melbourne’s own Oscar Piastri competing in his second F1 Australian Grand Prix with the McLaren F1 Team. (Last time was back in 2013 when Ricciardo and Mark Webber competed).
The grandstands were the first to sell out for 2024, so your only way into this mammoth motor racing event is by General Admission — but don’t let that deter you.
The most popular area for this is Brocky’s Hill, located at Turn 9. The elevated mound gives fans a great vantage point at one of the fastest corners on the circuit, as drivers navigate through Turns 9 and 10 absolutely flat out.
It was this section of the track that underwent a significant redesign ahead of the 2022 event, with the modification of the Turn 9-10 complex from a slow right-left corner to a fast and sweeping right-left corner, making it a much faster and more overtaking friendly part of the circuit.
Other popular general admission areas include the exit of Turn 2 and entry of Turn 3, particularly for race starts as the pack battles it out for position. Then, after the flowing middle section of the circuit, there are good general admission vantage points heading towards the end of the lap and the pit entry, through the technical Turn 11 to 13 section.
Off the track there are a number of fun activities taking place during each day of the four-day event. If you want to see and meet the drivers, the Melbourne Walk is the place to do it. Located on the inside of the track, it’s where the drivers walk from their cars/ team transport to enter the paddock, stopping to sign autographs, do TV interviews and take photos with the fans. It is the only Grand Prix venue in the world that does this and it has proven to be a massive hit with the fans, drivers and team personnel each year. The drivers and teams exit the track the same way at the end of each day, so you have two chances for a selfie or autograph. Drivers tend to arrive not long after the gates to the event are open, so you should make your way to Melbourne Walk as soon as you have access to the venue. In the afternoons, be there about 30 minutes to one hour after the final F1 session of the day.
The event organisers also conduct a number of super stage interviews located at the centre of the circuit and near the merchandise outlets each day. These appearances are also shown on massive super screens to ensure that everyone gets a good look at their Formula One heroes.
The Supercars paddock is open to all General Admission (Park Pass) fans attending and the Grand Prix represents an excellent opportunity to meet your favourite Supercars teams and drivers. This also applies to all Australian support racing categories taking part, such as the world’s fastest one-make motor racing series, Porsche Carrera Cup Australia.
Make sure you take your credit card, as each Grand Prix team is represented in the trackside merchandise stores, which have something for everyone, and there are numerous food trucks and stalls offering tasty cuisines from all over the world.
The event also includes roving musical and theatrical artists, sponsor activations, bars, trade displays, fan zones and more for any motor racing or automotive enthusiast, including an array of historic cars on display. There is definitely something for everyone at the FORMULA 1 Australian Grand Prix.
For those of you who couldn’t get a ticket or cannot travel to Melbourne for this amazing sporting experience, there will be wall-to-wall coverage of the event live on Network 10, FOX Sports Australia and Kayo Sports.
