The Australian Grand Prix has confirmed that it is not interested in rotating on and off the Formula 1 calendar in the next seasons. Before last year, Australia had hosted a Formula 1 event every year since 1985, but that streak was brought to an due to the pandemic, as the last could not take place in 2020.
Organizers then hoped to schedule the race in the current Formula 1 championship, which eventually proved impossible to the restrictions: both last season and this season, the event at Albert Park, which is usually the first round of the campaign, was called off due to COVID-19.
The Australian Grand Prix should return on the Formula 1 calendar next season, in the hope that everything goes well in 2022, making up part of the biggest calendar in the history of the sport, with a total of 23 rounds set to take place.
Many within the Formula 1 feel 23 events during a season is too big a number and would rather it be brought down to 20 with a few rounds taking place at different venues each year to ensure a large number can still host F1 races.
Andrew Westacott, the Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO, confirmed that the race Down Under has to be a permanent one though and isn’t interested in being part of the schedule on a rotating basis.
“That might apply to a permanent circuit in the European heartland, but we believe continuity, the annual nature of our event, is what’s needed,” he said, as reported by Speedcafe.com – “There’s a level of understanding and reliability, and a level of underpinning that it does to a whole ecosystem. So the notion of sitting every alternate year out, or rotating with other states to share it, is not on our agenda. We want it every year because it is such a great asset for Victoria.” – he explained.
Andrew Westacott also confirmed that there are many many aspects and areas, in particular, that benefit from an annual Formula 1 event in Melbourne.
“One is economic benefit, two is branding, three is tourism. Four, it underpins a very, very massive calendar of major events, and you get the big four pillars of the major events in autumn, winter, spring, summer, being the tennis, AFL footy, the VRC (Victoria Racing Club) spring carnival, or the spring carnival horse racing, and then Formula 1. Then you’ve got the events industry and ecosystem that exists. It is vibrant, it is capable, you can deliver any event in the world with the resources and capability we have here. But then the final two [points] are vitally important. That’s civic pride and liveability, and people love the pride that they have when they host major soccer tournaments, the Boomers versus the US in basketball. The Australian Open brings Melbourne alive, as does Formula 1. And then the final one is that, by staging these events so effectively, you get a level of business confidence and business investment confidence.” – the Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO concluded.
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