Melbourne GP to open 2024 Formula One season

Melbourne’s GP has finally got its mojo back after two Covid-cancelled years, with the race soon set to open the F1 season.

Melbourne’s Grand Prix will open the 2024 F1 season. Picture: Getty

Melbourne has got more than it’s mojo back after a record-breaking return to the Albert Park track. The Australian Grand Prix is revving up to be the season-opening race. Not in 2023, but in 2024.

“It’s all due to scheduling,” says Australian Grand Prix Corporation boss Andrew Westacott, who has told F1 drivers to stop whingeing about coming to Australia in the middle of the season.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Mercedes driver George Russell moaned about a 29,000km round trip to race in Melbourne.

As it was Perez and Russell finished second and third while Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who failed to finish the race won by teammate Charles Leclerc, will get his wish for a rescheduled season opener in Melbourne.

Charles Leclerc celebrates on the podium after saluting in Melbourne. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Sainz said bringing the first race back to Albert Park “gives you that extra vibe to come all the way here. It’s such a long trip.”

Westacott is a motor mouth when boosting the Melbourne race after Covid caused the race to be cancelled for two years.

The GP boss was in the hot seat and was not the only one before the race in Melbourne. The stewards found some drivers were flouting the rules by wearing their own underpants instead of the fireproof approved long johns your grandfather probably wore.

After the season opening races this year in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the teams went back to Europe and then to Melbourne.

Andrew and Tina Westacott and Sir Jackie Stewart at the Melbourne Grand Prix.

George Russell says Melbourne as the season opener was “really cool because everyone came early and there was a lot of excitement and anticipation.

“There is no reason we couldn’t do a back-to-back with one of the Middle Eastern races.”

Westacott is leading the charge, but not next year.

“There’s also Ramadan to consider,” says Westacott.

The Islamic calendar means the days of fasting change each year in relation to the calendar in western countries.

Other changes involve Russia being dropped from the F1 calendar because of the invasion of Ukraine and Las Vegas being added in November next year on a street circuit around the gambling and entertainment strip.

While the schedule has not yet been finalised, Melbourne is in pole position to be the first city to hear F1’s engines roar in 2024.