Honest Review of the Australian Grand Prix Experience
As of now, I have only been to one singular Grand Prix, yes, the Australian one. It was certainly full of excitement and finished off with a great podium in the end, but there was so much more to this weekend that made it the best one of my life.
Thursday?
I’ll try and put this as simply as possible. YES! I was lucky enough to get tickets for all four days, and in Melbourne, I couldn’t recommend it enough. Leaving the track on Thursday, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face, after a day full of meeting drivers, principals, other influencers, and F1-related “celebrities,” while also being able to watch on-track festivities and races.
When I tell people I am going to media day on a Thursday, they stare at me with a weird expression on their faces and utter confusion, but jokes on them because it was probably my favourite day of them all. Actually, I am unsure; it was all amazing.
But in terms of getting close to the drivers in a way that I have been told is unlike other Grand Prix’s, there is the Melbourne walk, which I have done a whole post about in itself with tips and information.
The Aus GP team does a great job at keeping us entertained and will always have something planned. I may not be the biggest fan of supercars and other motorsport series, but whether you are sitting in the bar or in the General Admission on the lawns, it is incredibly entertaining as they are full of overtaking, crashes, and on-track battles.
those being a fraction of the photos and people I was able to meet.
Formula 2 and 3
You dont have to follow the series to appreciate the future talent and exhilaration it provides the spectators. And as a supporter of the teams and drivers I was greatly surprised by how well you are able to meet them and, unlike the F1 drivers, have conversations with them. They were all so willing to stop and take photos. On Thursday, they had a talk at the main tech stage, where upon coming off, they took photos with anyone who wanted.
This is another reason why I think the Aus GP was so good because the Formula 2 and 3 teams were competing, meaning triple the amount of track excitement! They both had sprint races, and Formula 2 and 3, for anyone who isn’t as much of a fan, I would say, are a lot more competitive, having 22 and 31 drivers on track. Being all in the same model car and young talents whose dream and future are on the line make fantastic contests. Severely underrated. So the schedule was jam-packed on the Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, much more so than the GPs that aren’t hosting their races.
Photo: Formula 2 instagram
Race Day!
It was more than I could want. All week preparing myself for a straight Verstappen win for him to go out in the 4th lap; I can’t even begin to describe the crowd’s uproar when smoke started from his car. It's actually horrible how excited everyone was for another one’s failure, but every time Carlos passed us (my section at least), it was just the same excitement each lap. I genuinely feel, and we have been told many times before by commentators, teams, and drivers that we are very loyal and devoted fans. Our energy is unmatched, making it such a good time for anyone. I genuinely think Red Bull fans were infected by the excitement, and they too were cheering.
“Honestly I think it is one of the best Grand Prix’s of the year. Because to see the support here for, doesn’t matter what driver, its amazing.”
The Australian Grand Prix is also renowned for an unpredictable race with red flags and other havoc. Going into a race weekend, there is nothing worse than the commentators saying that there isn’t much space for overtaking and the race result will pretty much be determined by quali. Well, no commentator nor psychic could predict the events that will unfold at Albert Park.
Event Organisation
After going over the excessive and unlimited source of entertainment on and off track, I think the organizers did very well with concerts, fan forums and parks for kids, bars, and food. There are a few things I will warn you about.
Firstly, bathrooms; and the lack there of. I can’t even imagine, so hard to keep control of with a record-breaking 132,106 people on the Sunday, but they got to a point where there was no toilet paper and just a stench so unbearable plus a line with the end nowhere in sight. I recommend bringing tissues or paper for yourself.
As well as I recommend bringing a day’s worth of water supply as the queue for water refills was just as long as the bathroom mainly on the Sunday. So either bring your stacked supply or just give in to buying water.
But that comes to my second problem. Prices… obviously everything is going to be overpriced, but please bring food yourself. We treated ourselves to a schnitzel wrap once a day from a stall, but that’s all, then we learnt to bring snacks for the rest of the days.
Public transport was handled quite well; you just have to be prepared for waiting in line. I went on the trams in the morning from Melbourne CBD and Southern Cross station, and there was signage everywhere on the Sunday, so easy to follow, just a lot of people. Also, know your gate as the difference between say gate 1 and 3 is a good 20-minute walk without crowds. But parking might be the way to go or get someone to pick you up a few blocks from the track; it will save you a lot of time. But I do think they organized it well in terms of how hard it is to cater to that many people.
Photo: BBC taken from 2023
Overall, it genuinely was the best experience of my life, and I know I have no other Grand Prix’s to compare it to; I can’t imagine it being any better! Going back to my normal life afterward was by far the worst thing that came out of it. If you have any questions at all, please use my contact me page as I will love to help; if it's planning, information, or questions, I will try to find an answer.
