‘Unique and cherished’: Melbourne lifts ban on post-race tradition following 2023 controversy

Fans at the Australian Grand Prix will be allowed to storm the track after this year’s race following the lifting of a ban thanks to unruly behaviour in 2023.

The Australian Grand Prix will reinstate the popular post-race track invasion following a one-year ban owing to unruly spectator behaviour.

Fans had been banned from the long-running Melbourne tradition after several spectators broke onto the circuit before the end of the 2023 race.

Of particular concerned was the fact ticketholders were able to get within touching distance of Nico Hülkenberg’s Haas car after the German parked by the side of the road with an electrical problem following the chequered flag.

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The car’s warning lights indicated it was still in a possibly unsafe electrical condition, meaning anyone who touched the car might have been subjected to a life-threatening electric shock.

The Australian Grand Prix Corporation, which promotes the race, “candidly admitted the failures in terms of the security protocols and safety measures” in a subsequent stewards investigation and promised to present a remediation plan to the FIA.

However, the AGPC said the governing body’s investigation into the matter was still ongoing ahead of last year’s race, forcing a ban on spectators entering the circuit at any time.

But organisers have confirmed the ban will be lifted this season, with fans set to be welcomed back onto the track in time for the podium celebration.

“The track walk is a unique and cherished experience for our fans, and we are very excited to be able to welcome it back for 2025 and have this incredible moment shared around the world,” AGPC CEO Travis Auld said.

“There is nothing quite like seeing the passionate fans join in the celebration following the race, and we can only hope that this year they’re celebrating an Aussie on the podium.”

The Australian Grand Prix Corporation said safety would be beefed up to ensure fans wouldn’t be able to get onto the circuit ahead of time.

“As part of the track walk returning there will be a range of measures to ensure it can return safely, including purpose-built barrier gates to allow controlled access to the track, increased track protection infrastructure and increased security,” it said in a statement.

It isn’t the first time the Australian Grand Prix has been caught up in a spectator controversy. Crowds also broke onto the circuit early in 2017, with fans spotted alongside the track in the final sector during the cool-down lap, some of them standing little more than a metre from the cars as they motored back to pit lane.

Melbourne wasn’t the only venue caught up in an investigation over unruly fans in 2023, with São Paulo Grand Prix organisers receiving the same reprimand that year after video emerged of fans breaking through security lines and onto the wrong side of the safety fence during the race.

Australian Grand Prix organisers are expecting a record-breaking attendance this year following three seasons of blockbuster post-pandemic crowd figures.

Last year’s event drew a crowd of 452,055 attendees, which broke the previous year’s record by more than 7000 people.

Saturday and Sunday tickets to this event have already been exhausted. Limited tickets remain for Friday as well as Thursday, when only support categories, including the Supercars, will be in action at Albert Park.

This year the Australian Grand Prix will host the opening round of the season for the first time since 2019.

The race will take place on 16 March, the earliest running of the Melbourne event since 2015.

This will be one of five times Australia hosts the opening round under the terms of its current contract, which will keep the race at Albert Park until at least 2037.

The timing of Ramadan has prevented Bahrain from taking up its now traditional season-opening position, with the race moving to round 4 after Australia, China and Japan.

Saudi Arabia, which takes place over the Easter weekend in late April, will follow as round 5.

Pre-season testing is currently underway in Bahrain until Friday.

Originally published as ‘Unique and cherished’: Melbourne lifts ban on post-race tradition following 2023 controversy