Melbourne Safe Until 2023

Wesley Branton
September 13, 2015 @ 1:49 am

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With Formula One fans anxiously waiting for an agreement to be reached with the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy, another track has published news of a contract extension. The Premier of Victoria, Australia has announced that Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit will continue to be the host of the Australian Grand Prix. Daniel Andrews published the news to his Facebook account, teasing Premier of New South Wales, Mike Baird, who had plans to move the event to Sydney. Melbourne’s new contract is valid until 2023.

This street circuit is located around Albert Park Lake, not too far south of the center of Melbourne. The circuit was opened at the end of November in 1953 and played host to a non-championship event the following day. With 40 Australian starters, the race was won by Doug Whiteford. The event returned three years later and contained 20 starters. Most drivers were from Australia, but there was also a Frenchman and a few Brits, including Sir Stirling Moss who won the race.

The event wouldn’t return until 1996, where it would play host to the Australian Grand Prix, replacing the Adelaide Street Circuit. The event has been held in Melbourne every season since then, hosting the opening round of the Formula One season for all but two of those years.

Andrews is ecstatic to secure Melbourne’s future in Formula One, as it attracts tourists and strengthens the economy. “The Australian Grand Prix brings tens of thousands of visitors to Victoria and creates so many local jobs,” he wrote on Facebook.

It’s uncertain whether the event will continue to open the Formula One season, although the preliminary 2016 season calendar shows Australia as the first round. The event will be held considerably later than this year, as the season will be condensed to take away the gap between races. As of right now, we can expect to see the Formula One crowd return to Melbourne at the start of April.

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