Massive Crowds enjoy Melbourne’s Grand Prix Action

The weekend’s Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix 2022 drew a near record crowd of over 290,000 people over its four days with an estimated crowd of 130,000 passing through the gates at Albert Park for yesterday’s race day.

Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Martin Pakula joined representatives of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation at Albert Park during the event to celebrate the successful return of racing to Albert Park.

Explaining that the event contributes to the vibrancy and livability of Victoria and provides significant benefits to local businesses and creates jobs for Victorians, Minister Pakula stated “it’s been fantastic to see hundreds of thousands of fans pour through the gates at Albert Park over the last four days as the Australian Grand Prix returns to Melbourne.”

Returning to Melbourne’s Albert Park for the first time since 2019, due to successive pandemic cancellations, it has also been revealed that 40% of the weekend’s attendees were women, according to a report in Melbourne's The Age.

With female ticket holders traditionally making up about 25% of the audience, Australian Grand Prix Corporation Chief Executive, Andrew Westacott suggested that the rise in popularity of the race could be accredited to the popular Netflix documentary series, Drive To Survive, which follows Formula 1 throughout the season.

Westacott advised “historically we’ve had a 75-25% male-female split in terms of purchase.

“This year, with the huge growth we’ve seen, 40% of the ticket purchases are from females and I think it’s from us learning more about Formula One, maybe Oscar Piastri’s theatrics in Formula 2, and definitely Drive To Survive.”

Image: Fans at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix 2022. Credit: Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Martin Pakula.