‘Welcome back Melbourne’: Government says GP had biggest crowd in F1 history
A three-year wait, a wildly popular Netflix series, and perfect skies combined on Sunday to deliver a Melbourne grand prix that organisers say drew more spectators than any race weekend in the sport’s history.
Albert Park was heaving from Thursday to Sunday, when the grand prix corporation said 419,114 people showed up to the event that culminated in a dominant 20-second win for a resurgent Ferrari team and 24-year-old Frenchman Charles Leclerc – who led from start to finish.
Albert Park was heaving with F1 fans on Sunday.Credit:Eddie Jim
On the numbers provided, it was bigger than Texas, which F1 organisers said drew 400,000 last year – a record at the time.
Australian Daniel Ricciardo, starting from his best grid position in Melbourne since 2015, spent most of the race behind his teammate, the mercurial British youngster Lando Norris. He finished sixth – ahead of pre-race expectations given the slowness of his car in the first two races of the season.
However, he was largely anonymous because he rarely needed to engage in the close wheel-to-wheel action that his fans enjoy.
Tourism, Sport and Major Events Minister Martin Pakula – who gave a positive indication about a deal to secure Melbourne’s hosting rights – said he believed the crowd figures were greater than any previous Formula 1 race in any country.
“That’s a pretty exciting place to be, given where we’ve come from,” he said on Sunday, referring to Melbourne’s long spells in lockdown.
“I was just talking to a couple of guys before who had flown down from Queensland. That’s what this is all about – bringing people into Melbourne.”
The figure of 420,000 people includes those who attended for more than one day, who are therefore counted more than once.
Spurred by a popular Netflix series and an exhilarating 2021 season, the record crowd figures (which have been questioned in previous years) strained the physical and digital infrastructure at the track.
Grand prix boss Andrew Westacott admitted there were some long queues at food and drink stalls and said mobile networks were stretched, causing some fans to be without internet connection for hours.
But the racing chief said the weekend went off without major issues and argued the race was a jewel in Melbourne’s major events crown. “Every eye [was] on Albert Park, every eye [was] on Melbourne,” he said.
Sponsors were also keen to piggyback on the theme of Melbourne being “back”.
Signage on the Heineken-branded footbridge overhanging the track’s main straight, which featured prominently in the television broadcast viewed by tens of millions worldwide showed a message of welcoming Melbourne back.
The first lap of Sunday’s race.Credit:Getty
The state government spent $20 million amending the track layout to make it easier for cars to overtake one another, but organisers would have hoped for a greater number of exciting manoeuvres by the top drivers.
Leclerc was much quicker than any other driver in his Ferrari, which appears to be the quickest car since vehicle design rules were overhauled.
“Not the best grand prix ever,” quipped one French journalist in a media room teeming with international journalists. “Unless you are Charles Leclerc.”
“The car was incredible today,” the winner said to his team via radio after he crossed the finish line, cementing Ferrari as a frontrunner to win the famous team’s first championship in more than a decade.
Just as the grand prix represented something of a rebirth for Melbourne as a host of international events, the ease with which Ferrari won suggested a new period of success for the Italians and signalled the end of a long period of dominance by Red Bull and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.
Charles Leclerc celebrates after his win.Credit:Eddie Jim
After the race, Leclerc said it was too early to make predictions about winning the title but said the fact a championship for Ferrari was on the agenda “makes me smile”.
Steph Augello and Alex Barilla, young women from Melbourne’s northern suburbs, represented the sport’s new appeal. The pair, fans of Australian Daniel Ricciardo and reigning champion Max Vertsappen, attended each day of this year’s event, having never been before.
“We started watching [Formula 1 Netflix series] Drive to Survive in lockdown,” said Barilla. “Now we’re here, which is cool.”
Celebrations were set off in Lygon Street, Ferrari’s spiritual home in Melbourne, when reigning champion Max Verstappen’s car broke down midway through the race, dousing hopes of a contest for the race win.
A cultural guide to going out and loving your city. Sign up to our Culture Fix newsletter here.
Most Viewed in Sport
From our partners
Source: Read Full Article