Why Melbourne deserves to lose the F1 Grand Prix

Firstly, as I've said elsewhere here, an (not "the") AGP was staged all over the country almost twenty times before Albert Park's couple of efforts, on EXISTING public roads in the Formula Libre era, in '53 and '56. Secondly, again as I've said elsewhere, the move had more to do with external maneuvering and political gain than with cost. About $12 million, in today's terms, was by no means inhibitive and the Adelaide event was still seen as financially helpful in light of the State Bank collapse. Kennett, Walker and Ecclestone simply took advantage on the quiet of the short term political termoil in the months leading up to the '93 election, before leadership was settled and local organisers were in a better position to negotiate. The FIA event was very much required, affordable and well supported in its birthplace. Any 'news' to the contrary at the time was spin and propaganda, no doubt an effort to make the "coup" less than the politically expedient, parochial, unAustralian bastardry that it was. It was not in danger of leaving Australia if it had stayed in Adelaide, not for the forseeable future at least, and thus not "saved" by Melbourne in any way at the time.

"Maybe you are forgetting that the first Australian GP was help at Albert Park in 1953…" No, it wasn't. Albert Park held a couple of locally run Formula Libre anti-clockwise races under the "Australian Grand Prix" banner in '53 and '56, about twenty events in as many years and several sites after its historically accepted beginning in the thirties.

Ten years on but what the heck. Firstly, events known as the "Australian Grand Prix" date back the 1920s, and had been held at various places around the country including Philip Island, Bathurst and Lobethal, Point Cook, Leyburn, Nuriootpa, Narrogin, Port Wakefield, Southport, Caversham, Albert Park and Calder (among others) with the Victor Harbour run "South Australian Grand Prix" filling in in the '30s before the Australian Grand Prix banner was revived. The event was first run at Albert Park as a LOCALLY sanctioned Formula Libre race in 1953, run by the Light Car Club of Australia and Army Southern Command. It went to Southport and Port Wakefield before being run again at Albert Park under the same Formula in 1956 to co-incide with the Olympics. Melbourne did host its own "Grand Prix" in 1958 as part of the Australian championship. Decades on, an attempt to coax Formula One to Calder failed circa 1980. As did a belated bid to host a round at Sandown in the light of an advanced, superior and ultimately successful effort by Bill O'Gorman and the SA Labor Government that finally put Australia on the big stage. Would never have happened that way if Ecclestone never cared "where it was held". As for not "coughing up the dough" Kennett and Walker did nothing more than take advantage of serious, albeit temporary, political issues in 1993 as a result of the State Bank collapse. Neither Labor or Liberal would be in a position to negotiate the best deal prior to the late 1993 election and Ecclestone wasn't prepared to wait a few months, so Walker and Kennett weaseled in on the sly. In the end, Bernie was, Formula One lost its best street circuit and its Australian finale - '86 still the best season ending in history. Meanwhile Australia gained a glorified season warm-up procession which is now several times, in real terms, the cost of the event. Anyway, I trust that you've grown up enough in the last 10 years to yourself from pounding out such mind numbing parochial nonsense which, I'm sure, most knowledgeable Melbournean motor racing fans would have been embarrassed to read. Most importantly, I hope you've gained a maturity that has saved other people from having to do the thinking for you. Cheers.

First of all the Australian GP was held at Albert Park in 1953, the track and lake where built for the event. and secondly does no one remember that during the last three Adelaide GPs it was all over the news that Adelaide could no longer afford to host the event because of the cost, Melbourne saved the event from leaving australia all together.

Agree on this argument Luke. Consultants consultants consultants. Only this week the government has hired a professor to do a study into the state of the Taxi service in Melbourne. "The professor expects to complete his survey over the next year." Of course he does - if he's getting $000's per day I would draw it out for a year too. We all know whats wrong with the taxi service here but they hire somone to spend a year to find out... I personally love the GP - love having it in Melbourne - and would happily live in the Albert Park area if I could afford it and have first rate access to the event. Having said that - if Melbourne cannot retain the Grand Prix I would be happy for it to be somewhere else in Australia.

I would rather see money go to ecclestone than waste of space bureaucrats or spending millions on upgrading government offices that don't need upgrading. The F1 could come to Perth and have a sleep.

"Yet another sad Sydney sider that isn’t content with their Gay Mardi Gras." ...... Heheehe, they are very envious of Melbourne in Sydney. They changed their laws recently to get more of a bar culture like Melbourne's which tells you how much they look at Melbourne for guidance.

The first Australian world GP race was at Albert Park in the 1950's.. Adelaide stole it from us, we just took back what we already owned, thanks for keeping it warm for us. If Adelaide wanted to keep it that bad they should have coughed up the dough to keep it because after everything is said and done, Bernie Ecclestone could not give two hoots where it is held, aslong as he gets his money!!!

Blaa blaa blaa... Yet another sad Sydney sider that isn't content with their Gay Mardi Gras. If Sydney was the best place to hold the Australian F1 GP it would be there already.. Maybe you are forgetting that the first Australian GP was help at Albert Park in 1953... And you cant say that that abortion of a track at homebush could ever be suitable for cars that have the capability of reaching speeds in excess of 300km/hr. Homebush has a hard time keeping the V8 Super cars contained, I highly doubt safe racing conditions could be achieved for the Formula Ones at the homebush location. The ammount of time and effort Melbourne put into making Albert Park suitable for the F1's was amazing, I do not think the people living around Homebush would put up with months and months of road closures and road works, time spent ripping up the road surfaces and laying down new expensive surfaces.. And maybe knocking down a building or two to make room for the pits and run off areas around the corners.. If Sydney were to take the GP from Melbourne they would need something a bit better than Homebush. I think that this is the same old sook story we get every few years... Sydney cannot stand any other state having things better than them, just like a spoilt child.. Ask yourself this, when you ask people from other countries what they picture when they think of Australia, they will tell you the Sydney Harbor Bridge, the Sydney Opera House and Uluru. So maybe its time Melbourne had the Sydney Opera House for a while. We could rename it the Melbourne Opera House and paint it yellow or green... I think that you should stop sticking your nose where it does not belong and go back to planning the next gay and lesbian mardi gras.

Luke. you genralise way too much what about the 400,000 people that go each year? Why should they have their faviroute event taken off them?

If they build it at Avalon, they need to make it an old school track. Like the old Nurburgring, Monza or Spa. Long, fast corners to test the cajones on these modern racers. Avalon is about 25 kms from Geelong city centre. Albert Park is unfortunately full of whinging, Age, 3AW/3LO/ABC tv heads who complain about anything and everything. The annoying thing is these people move into the centre of town for all the action and attractions, then when they get there they want to make it like a farming town on a Sunday afternoon. Wish they would bring the Le Mans race down too and make it 24 hours to really shove it up 'em.

We should ditch the Grand Prix and invest in a monorail. At least that way we would only be ripped of once instead of the annual bloodsucking that goes on now.

Agree Luke - Gold Coast Indy circuit would be fine :-)

I say back to Adelaide, the best street circuit in the world, and the best end of year party. Melbourne has never matched Adelaides attendance records and old enough drivers liked the circuit better anyway, Schumi got in trouble in 96 for bagging the Albert Park track and was forced to apologise. Anyway Melbourne should get behind it fully, or give it up.

What an odd comment. I would far prefer another city in Australia to host the event if it wasnt in Melbourne. Adelaide was a great event pretty much loved by everyone. I'm sure Sydney or any other city in Australia could put on a really good race too. But bickering between the states is just going to end up in who ever ends up with it paying more to snatch it away from Melbourne. It would be far better to negotiate as a block with Bernie if it was decided to shift it to another city or share between multiple cities.