MELBOURNE (AFP) – Nearly 420,000 spectators poured into Albert Park over the Australian Grand Prix weekend, organisers stated on Monday (April 11), to set a brand new attendance report on the circuit, and one of many highest within the sport’s historical past.
Melbourne was again on the calendar this 12 months after lacking out in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic and journey restrictions.
It returned with a bang as fans flocked to the monitor to witness Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc win his second race of the 12 months to stretch his world championship lead.
Organisers stated 419,114 folks attended over the 4 days, eclipsing the earlier report of 401,000 set at Melbourne’s inaugural grand prix in 1996.
A bumper 128,294 watched Sunday’s race, with 55,107 turning up on Thursday simply to absorb the environment, regardless of it being a day when no Formula One automobiles took to the monitor.
The Melbourne numbers topped the 400,000 who attended final 12 months’s United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, which was Formula One’s highest attendance in 2021.
But they have been in need of the 520,000 who flooded the 1995 race weekend in Adelaide – the final time the Australian Grand Prix was held there earlier than switching to Melbourne.
Race organisers put the huge Melbourne crowd down to a mixture of a brand new viewers to the game attracted by means of the Netflix sequence “Drive To Survive”, effective climate and fans determined for high-speed motion after lacking out for 2 years.
There was a sea of orange as fans donned the colors of McLaren in assist of native hero Daniel Ricciardo, who completed sixth.
Ricciardo famous throughout the weekend it had “always been pretty wild here” however that “it felt like it was turned up a notch, or two, or three”.
“It’s definitely a good crazy and there’s a lot of support and love. I think everyone’s just stoked to have the race back,” he stated.
Australian Grand Prix chief Andrew Westacott described the weekend as “the happiest sporting event” he had ever been to.
“We were instilling the mojo back into Melbourne,” he instructed native radio after town went by means of powerful years with lockdowns and different Covid-19 restrictions.
