Five Things You NEED To Know About the Australian Grand Prix

The Australian Grand Prix has been a staple on the Formula 1 World Championship calendar since 1985, with Albert Park on hosting duties since 1996.

Known for its incredible fan engagement, entertaining racing and awesome energy, it remains a very popular event and a great way to kickstart a new season – and generation – of the championship.

Albert Park is no stranger to motorsport, actually holding two non-championship events back in 1953 and 1956 on a much shorter and anti-clockwise circuit.

However, it returned for good 30 years ago and now has a deal in place to stay until at least 2037.

Here are five things you might not know about the Australian Grand Prix.

_{Albert Park will celebrate its 30th year on the F1 rota in 2026.}

Visiting The Park

Located at the heart of Melbourne's city center in Victoria, Albert Park welcomes over six million visitors every year. As the name suggests, it’s a public park which was proclaimed in 1864 and named after Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert.

When Formula 1 isn’t in town, fans can walk the circuit and relive their favourite moments from decades of racing around Albert Park and see first-hand what Kimi and George experience when behind the wheel.

You can explore the pits and paddock, see the start-finish straight and even walk up onto the podium and imagine how it would feel to win the Australian Grand Prix yourself – minus the thousands of adoring fans! Several pieces of kurbing are left all year round, and parts of the track are even driveable in the park.

The lake located in the middle of the park is also artificial, and consists of a 5 kilometre perimeter which is home to a permanent population of around 150 swans.

Melbourne’s Coffee Culture

The city is home to some of the world’s best cafes and if you’re a fan of a coffee and a sweet treat, you’re in luck. Last year Proud Mary Coffee, a local institution, was ranked the fourth-best coffee shop in the world, with locals recommending Collingwood and Brunswick as their favourite spots for a caffeinated beverage.

In fact, the population of Australia takes their coffee so seriously that in the early 2000s the world’s largest coffeehouse chain tried to find success Down Under, but was forced to close 70% of its Australian stores years later as residents favoured independent and authentic venues. It’s that serious, and rightfully so.

The perfect accompaniment to your coffee? A special pastry with a Formula 1 twist. Lune croissants are world-famous, and were created by Kate Reid who previously worked as an Aerodynamicist at a British-based Formula 1 team. Ultimately leaving her role to pursue a career in perfect pastries, each Lune croissant takes three days to make with more than two million produced each year and served by staff known as “the croissant pit team”.

_{Toto, seen here signing autographs on the famous Melbourne walk in 2025, is always a fan favourite Down Under.}

A Grand Prix for the Record Books

Described as one of the best races to attend, Australian GP organisers continue to go above and beyond for Formula 1 fans. The final Australian Grand Prix held at the Adelaide Street Circuit in 1995 still remains the best-attended Formula 1 race weekend of all time, with a total of 520,000 fans present across the four days and 210,000 watching on race day alone.

There’s no shortage of General Admission spots to watch from, and fans can get unique access to their favourite drivers thanks to initiatives like the ‘Melbourne Walk’. This long stretch is located between the car park and the paddock, and sees all the teams and drivers stop for photos and autographs with the fans.

Motorsport content creator Luke Sammut told us that his favourite day at an F1 race was when he got to stand by the barrier, stating that he and his mates just stood there all day waiting for drivers to come out but “good luck for trying to get a spot”.

Last year saw 465,000 fans, and the year prior 44% of attendees were women. The race is also noted for its excellent efforts towards accessibility and making sure that all fans can have enjoyable experiences and can get around as easily as possible.

Home Race Curse

Did you know that an Australian driver has never finished in the top three of their home race since the Australian Grand Prix joined the F1 calendar in 1985? It’s a sobering statistic, especially given the level of talent the country has exported in motorsport including four Drivers’ World Championships across two individuals: Alan Jones (1980) and Jack Brabham (1959, 1960, 1966).

In 2002, home hero Mark Webber did stand on the podium post-race, to celebrate a wonderful P5 finish for the Minardi team - at the time their best result for the best part of a decade.

One Aussie has stood on the podium, only to receive no points for his Grand Prix weekend, and that was Daniel Ricciardo in 2014. Having originally finished second behind Nico Rosberg, the popular Australia native was later disqualified for breaching fuel consumption rules, meaning the home curse continued.

_{Daniel Ricciardo stood on the Australian GP podium alongside Nico in 2014, but would later be disqualified, meaning an Australian has never been classified in the top three at their home race.}

Glamour on the Grid

In addition to the entertainment on-track, the Australian Grand Prix has been making big impacts when cars aren’t racing. The now annual ‘Glamour on the Grid’ event has become one of the hottest tickets in town, with Australian Grand Prix CEO Travis Auld confessing he gets as many requests for invitations to Glamour on the Grid as he does the Grand Prix itself.

Held on the Wednesday of race week, it marks the start of the busy few days and celebrates fashion and all things fast. It’s a unique activation that the Australian Grand Prix organises, and sees attendees dropped off on the start-finish straight before they walk the pit lane to arrive at the party where all the biggest names from sports, social media and celebrity toast to the start of the season.

“I think the Australian Grand Prix has organically cemented itself as a staple on the county's social calendar,” motorsport and lifestyle journalist Emily Selleck explains.

“Anyone who is anyone will attend this event and it helps promote Formula 1 to this whole new audience.”

Did You Know?

Here's a couple of extra nuggets of information to get you in the mood for Melbourne. The city is home to what is widely considered to be the oldest train station in Australia, Flinders Street.

The city is also the only one in the world that can boast hosting a Formula One Grand Prix AND a major Grand Slam tennis tournament in a calendar year. The Australian Open takes place in January.