Exclusive: Australian Grand Prix in talks with Vic Andrews government on night race

Record breaking crowds watched on as chaos reigned at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, with the government in talks with organisers about a key timing change.

Mercedes' George Russell leads the field at the start of the 2023 Formula One Australian Grand Prix at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne on Sunday. Race officials are in negotiations with the Victorian Government about making it a night race. Picture: William West/AFP

The Australian Grand Prix will investigate switching Melbourne’s Formula One race from day to night and is in talks with the Victorian government about a possible move.

The four-day spectacle at Albert Park continues to break records, with organisers of this year’s event revealing a cumulative 444,631 attended from Thursday to Sunday – the largest recorded since the race was poached from Adelaide nearly three decades ago.

More than 130,000 fans packed into the circuit on race day, the second-highest attendance for a Sunday.

Australian Grand Prix Corp chairman Paul Little told The Australian moving to a night race would open it up to an ever bigger international audience.

“We are a long way from saying it’s going to happen. There are pros and … cons,” he said. “But the cost of actually lighting a venue like Albert Park has come down significantly and that’s made it of more interest to us.

“And the other thing is to reach the rest of the world at a reasonable time zone is something we haven’t been able to even consider. Well, lighting would allow us to do that.

“We are very open to the idea and … since it was floated the (Victorian) government has asked me more about it. So we’re doing a bit more work on it at the moment.”

The 3pm race start in Melbourne is 6am in London and 1am in New York.

If the race were to start at 8pm in Australia it would be 11am in London, 6am in New York and 7pm in Tokyo.

Singapore was the first to hold a night race more than a decade ago to reach a wider audience. Several other tracks, including Bahrain, Qatar and Las Vegas, are moving to the night format.

Australian Grand Prix chairman Paul Little with McLaren driver Australia’s Oscar Piastri.

Melbourne last year secured a two-year contract extension to host the race until 2037.

Mr Little said that was “terribly important” because it means Australia can now plan for the future, including continuing to improve site facilities. The Grand Prix is investigating building a permanent structure opposite pit lane to improve grandstand seating.

The race chairman also acknowledged a new generation of racegoers; young fans who have contributed to the biggest crowds recorded at Albert Park.

“F1 is a global organisation. There are 23 Grands Prix around the world and we are just one. But we think we are right up at the sharp end in terms of performance,” he said.

Following a wet and cold qualifying session at Albert Park on Saturday, the sun shone on race day as fans started to trickle in.

Music boomed throughout the grounds, drowned out occasionally by the sound of cheering crowds vying for a selfie with their favourite driver on the “Melbourne Walk”.

Young fans and more women are now embracing the Formula One, drawn to the sport following the success of the breakout Netflix series Drive to Survive. The sport also has also traded on a clean cut image that appeals to millennials.

Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen drives during the 2023 Formula One Australian Grand Prix at the Albert Park. Picture: AFP

Friends Georgia Breckenridge and Toni Whiting, both 22 and visiting from Sydney, believe Formula One could become more popular than the Melbourne Cup carnival, traditionally considered one of Melbourne’s premier sporting events.

“The Grand Prix is way more interesting to way more people,” Ms Breckenridge said.

“It brings people from everywhere as well. Not just Australia, there are heaps of international people as well,” Ms Whiting said.

The success of the spectacle is considered at least partly responsible for the bounce back of Melbourne’s tourism sector, benefitting hotels, hospitality and retail in the city which suffered economic loss through some of the longest Covid-19 lockdowns in the world.

Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief Paul Guerra said the benefits of the Grand Prix to Melbourne and Victoria go “far beyond” its economic impact.

“The Formula One racing fandom is only getting stronger every year, and the opportunity to beam images of Melbourne across the world is priceless, encapsulating the incredibly high standard we have set as the events capital of the world,” he said.

Victoria Tourism Industry Council chief Felicia Mariani said with bigger crowds compared to last year, she expected the four-day spectacle would deliver more economic return to the Victorian economy compared with the $92m generated in 2022. “We would expect economic impact to exceed (last year),” she said.

“Our hotels run at 90 per cent plus … around Greater Melbourne. Our restaurants are full. Retail outlets are buzzing. Nightlife is a natural part of this event as well”.

“There are immeasurable benefits.”