Charles Leclerc secured a commanding victory for Ferrari at the 2022 Australian Grand Prix, with a turnout of 128,000 on race day in Melbourne.
The event marked Formula 1’s return to Australia since 2019, drawing an enthusiastic crowd to the Albert Park race. Over the four days, the event drew an estimated 419,114 fans, surpassing Melbourne’s previous record of 401,000 set at the 1996 inaugural event.
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The 2022 event’s attendance surpassed any 2021 race, with the 2021 United States Grand Prix previously holding the record at 400,000. It’s important to note that the Australian Grand Prix spans four days, compared to the three-day event in the United States last year.
Recent Trends in Australian Grand Prix Attendances
The Australian Grand Prix has consistently been one of the most attended events each season. However, Melbourne’s weekend attendance had fallen below 300,000 in recent years. The 2019 event saw an increase to 324,000, the largest since 2005.
Due to high ticket demand, five new grandstands were added to the redesigned Albert Park circuit for the 2022 race.
The record for the largest ever F1 attendance is 520,000, set over the four-day weekend of the 1995 Australian Grand Prix. The 1995 event in Adelaide was the last before the move to Albert Park in Melbourne.
Record-Breaking Attendance on Friday and Saturday
Albert Park saw record attendance on both Friday and Saturday. Friday’s Free Practice attracted 112,446 spectators, and Saturday’s qualifying welcomed 123,247. The support races on Thursday drew a crowd of 55,107.
Sunday’s race day attendance of 128,294 didn’t set a new record but was the third-highest in the history of Melbourne’s F1 races. The attendance was capped at 130,000 due to labour shortages related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Andrew Westacott, CEO of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, mentioned that about 25,000 fans couldn’t get tickets for race day due to these limitations. The record for race day attendance is 156,000, set at the first Melbourne event in 1996.
Anticipating More Record-Breaking Numbers in 2022
Australia was the second race of the 2022 season to achieve a new attendance record following the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, which recorded 35,000 fans on race day.
Demand for F1 tickets has skyrocketed this year. Tickets for the United States and Mexico City Grand Prix sold out rapidly, and tickets for the Spanish and Hungarian Grand Prix were also sold out.
Source: F1 Destinations
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