When Grand Prix will return to Melbourne

A new date has been revealed as the likely start for the 2022 Australian Grand Prix after Melbourne cancelled the multimillion dollar event two years in a row.

Melbourne is set to host the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix on April 10, with the sport’s governing body putting the finishing touches on next year’s race calendar.

The Sunday Herald Sun understands that the pre-Easter weekend is the favoured timeslot for Australia’s multimillion dollar race next year, after the previous two events were cancelled due to the pandemic.

Organisers would have more than seven months to prepare for the hosting duties, which now require strict Covid testing regimes and “bubbles” for F1 teams flying around the globe.

This year’s event, which was initially delayed until November, was called off in July due to concerns about quarantine and low vaccine rates in Australia.

The Grand Prix is set to be back at Albert Park on April 10, 2022.

When the Melbourne race date is confirmed, as early as this week, it would give a much-needed shot in the arm for Victoria’s flagging major events schedule.

It is almost certain that the AFL Grand Final will be shifted from the MCG to Perth this year due to coronavirus concerns — the second year running Melbourne has lost hosting rights.

A government spokesman said no date was confirmed for the Grand Prix but the state looked forward “to welcoming the world’s best drivers, their teams and racing fans back to Victoria in 2022”.

“Having the Formula 1 back in Melbourne will be a major boost for the economy, attracting thousands of fans to one of the city’s showpiece events.”

Fans were at the gate at the 2020 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix when it was announced it was cancelled.

Earlier this year Victoria’s Sports Minister Martin Pakula blamed a flagging vaccination rollout for the decision to scrap the November event and the MotoGP at Phillip Island.

“Until we get much higher vaccination rates we cannot return to more normal settings,” he said at the time.

“We are getting to work on plans for 2022 immediately and can’t wait to welcome the world’s best drivers and riders and all motorsport fans back to Albert Park and Phillip Island.”

Melbourne’s Grand Prix has stirred controversy since the 1990s, largely due to the cost of staging the international spectacle — now worth about $60 million.

Race supporters and the government argue that the economic benefits that flow from tourists and global exposure make the event a must-have on the state’s major events schedule.

This year’s F1 season has been impacted greatly by the pandemic, with some races held without crowds and others shifted or cancelled altogether.