Formula 1 makes a welcome return to Albert Park in Melbourne for the third round of the 2024 season. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of attending the 2024 Australian Grand Prix weekend on March 21-24.
After a three-year break, Formula 1 made a triumphant return to Albert Park in 2022. Held on a revised layout of the Melbourne Grand Prix circuit, Charles Leclerc won the 2022 Australian Grand Prix from pole position while Max Verstappen retired with mechanical issues.
The new track layout continued to provide drama last year, in a race which was punctuated by multiple red flag periods and a chaotic ending. Verstappen won last year’s Albert Park race, providing Red Bull with their first Australian Grand Prix win in over a decade.
After a dominant end to the 2023 season and a dominant start to 2024, Verstappen heads to Albert Park this year with the opportunity to equal his own record of ten consecutive Grand Prix victories. He has won every race since the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix.
Just like in the last two years, interest in attending the 2024 Australian Grand Prix has been huge. In 2022, five new grandstands were added to accommodate more fans. Tickets for the race are close to selling out, though a very limited number of grandstand seats remain available in our ticket shop. Ticket packages from F1 Experiences – F1’s official ticket package partner – are currently sold out.
The Australian Grand Prix was the traditional season-opener between 1996 and 2019, hosting all but two of the first races of the year during that time. The Albert Park race has appeared as the third race of the season since its post-pandemic return in 2022. It’s expected that the Melbourne race will return to the season-opening slot in 2025.
Ahead of last year’s Australian Grand Prix weekend, race organisers signed a lengthy contract extension with Formula 1, ensuring that Albert Park will remain on the calendar until at least 2037.
Getting Around in Melbourne on 2024 Australian Grand Prix Weekend
Metropolitan Melbourne is host of the 2024 Australian Grand Prix. The city is home to almost five million people, with the population having almost doubled since F1 first visited in 1996. There’s a definite buzz around Melbourne’s streets on Grand Prix weekend, so make the most of your visit to one of Australia’s leading cities!
From sports museums and cricket grounds, to road trips and markets, there’s something for everyone in Melbourne. We’ve rounded up the best places to visit on your Australian Grand Prix trip in Off-Track Activities and produced a guide to the biggest events happening across the city – including other sporting events, concerts and F1-themed parties – in the lead up to the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.
There are hotels to suit a wide range of budgets in Melbourne. If you’re still looking for a place to stay, check out our accommodation guide. Wherever you’re staying, be it in the city centre or the beachside suburb of St Kilda, the circuit is linked by reliable and affordable public transport. Don’t forget, trams in the city are free for F1 fans on Grand Prix weekend.
Heading to Melbourne for the first time? All the essential travel information, including coronavirus entry requirements and information on visas is in Travel Basics.
Big crowds expected at 2024 Australian Grand Prix
The 2023 Australian Grand Prix marks the 27th time that F1 has raced at Albert Park. The event has always had a healthy attendance figure and 2024 could be another record-breaking year.
In 2022, the Australian Grand Prix became the best-attended weekend sporting event in Melbourne’s history, attracting a record breaking crowd of almost 420,000 fans over the four days of the race weekend. The record-breaking figure came despite a self-enforced 130,000 capacity cap on race day due to labour shortages brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. The figure reached new heights in 2023, soaring to 444,600. It made the Australian Grand Prix the second best-attended race of the whole season, behind only the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Prior to its hiatus in 2020, the Australian Grand Prix was usually one of the top three best-attended races of the year. In 2019, 324,000 fans flocked to the circuit over the race weekend in the event’s highest weekend figure since 2005.
How Much Will I Spend on a Trip to the 2024 Australian Grand Prix?
With four days full of on-track action and relatively cheap tickets, the Australian Grand Prix is one of the best value for money races on the 2024 calendar. Weekend General Admission tickets – or Park Passes – currently rank as the ninth cheapest of any race, while 4-day grandstand seats currently rank as the 11th cheapest of the year. Tickets in the grandstand opposite the pits are the third-cheapest of any race on the 2024 calendar.
In 2023, the event ranked among the top four races in terms of affordability for local fans. Tickets for the race cost 7.7% of the average monthly wage.
We estimate that the average fan will spend around $1,770 AUD on a trip to the 2024 Australian Grand Prix, including 4-day grandstand seats, hotel accommodation and daily spending money.
Check out our Budget Planner for the lowdown on what you can expect to spend on a trip to the 2024 Australian Grand Prix!
Trackside at Albert Park
2024 will be F1’s third race on a revised layout of the Albert Park circuit. Changes to the venue were made between 2019 and 2022 in a bid to improve the race spectacle, creating better chances to overtake and cutting the lap time by around 5 seconds.
The five new grandstands which were added for the 2022 race have improved viewing opportunities for fans. The largest of the additional grandstands is on the revamped high-speed section of track between Turns 8 and 9.
In 2019, General Admission tickets for the Australian Grand Prix were renamed ‘Park Passes’. The name may have changed, but the tickets still offer the same great value for fans. For the third year in a row, Park Passes have sold out for the 2024 event. If you have a Park Pass we advise getting to the circuit early to secure the best viewing spots!
Formula 2, Formula 3 and Supercars: the Packed Support Race Line-Up
One of the great things about attending the Australian Grand Prix has always been the jam-packed support race line-up, which has more support race action over four days than any other event on the calendar. This year, the ever-popular Supercars Championship returns to the support bill, along with the Porsche Carrera Cup.
After making their debut last year, Formula 1’s feeder series Formula 2 and Formula 3 will return to Albert Park in 2024. Both Formula 2 and Formula 3 will race twice at Albert Park over the 2024 Australian Grand Prix, with Sprint Races on Saturday and Feature Races on Sunday. The addition of these races supercharges an already packed weekend of wheel-to-wheel action!
The 2024 Australian Grand Prix will also include historic demonstration runs – including a McLaren tribute – on each day of the race weekend, aerial displays and a range of concerts. There will be opportunities to see the drivers on the famous Melbourne Walk and in the Fan Forum, the latter of which takes place in a new location this year. You can find all the vital information about watching the race at Albert Park, including session times, on our Trackside page.
Off Track on 2024 Australian Grand Prix Weekend
Away from the race track, there’s plenty going on over Grand Prix week in Melbourne. Among the highlights are two exclusive motorsport dinners, fan activations and street parties.
Melbourne is known as the sporting capital of the world and it certainly lives up to its name on 2024 Australian Grand Prix weekend with AFL matches and horse racing taking place in the surrounding area.
Elsewhere, the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival 2024 and metal music festival Knotfest both coincide with race weekend and there are a number of concerts taking place across the city. Check out our guide to what’s on in Melbourne over the week leading up to the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.
There’s also always a vibrant atmosphere at the Queen Vic Night Market on Wednesday evenings. More off-track ideas for your stay in Melbourne can be found here.
