Melbourne has hosted the Australian Grand Prix since 1996. That is eighteen years of sporting history, tradition, and a whole lot of tourism for the state of Victoria.
Melbourne is contracted to host the Formula One Grand Prix until 2015, being the 66th season of the event.
Where the Formula One Australian Grand Prix is going to be held in 2016 remains a mystery. However, a majority of stakeholders and spectators are begging to ask why does it have to change at all?
Hosting the race is not cheap. It is said to cost up to $50 million to hold the entire event. However, President and CEO of Formula One Bernie Ecclestone stated on the second of March that the Grand Prix is set to stay in Melbourne, saying a new contract will be signed.
Like any major sporting event, it is obvious that this prestigious, petrol-pumped global racing event brings in a highly significant amount of revenue and awareness of Melbourne as a city with jobs, tourism profits and unique global branding.
It is also seems to have a special place in Bernie Ecclestone’s heart, as he said recently that “We’re happy with Melbourne, they seem to be happy with us, so I suppose it will be all right”. However, when we place the economic benefits side by side with the cost, the revenue is seen as trifling.
The Victorian government claims the subsidy is worth it, because the annual economic benefits from the race are estimated to be between $32 million to $39 million dollars. To add a slice of controversy, an in-depth analysis completed by consulting firm Economists at Large found that known benefits were said to have overestimated effects. Aspects such as tourism, international media publicity and consumer surplus really only had a benefit of $5 million.
For many years, the NSW government has been putting some serious feelers out as a prospect to take the Grand Prix to Sydney.
A tactical promise of a night race was projected to capture surly Bernie’s attention in 2010, yet public backlash to this suggestion surrounded the fact that night races already exist and that it would ‘ruin the novelty’.
The two competing options of Homebush and an overhauled Eastern Creek have so far somewhat struggled to seize the FIA’s attention. Albert Park is praised as a perfectly decent permanent track (rather than what would be a city circuit if it were in Sydney), however many acknowledge its downfall in its lack of overtaking opportunities.
Albert Park has other qualities that have been highlighted such as runoff, gravel traps and tire barriers. It is also acknowledged as a reasonable margin wider than other tracks, even Monaco. Talk of the race returning to its Australian origin of Adelaide are more often than not dismissed due to various reasons, one specifically being that most of the circuit consisted of ninety-degree bends.
It is obvious that the majority of the public and the FIA consider Albert Park to be a very suitable location, even with the contract ending so soon.
The Formula One Grand Prix that Australia has hosted every year since 1985 is an event that is held dearly to most F1 fanatics’ hearts. Melbourne, the new up and coming city of culture revels in the events of the Grand Prix and the partying and novelties that surround it.
Melbourne really is considered the Monaco of Australia, the prestige and culture-driven city that has attention drawn to it as it hosts the season opener every year.
Shouts Chen
Guest
I hope that the Perth will get the Formula One Grand Prix. The viewership in Perth is much smaller than Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Predicting that the F1 GP will be held at Barbagallo Raceway. The Barbagallo Raceway was known to have V8 Super Cars and the historical of the Formula One Grand Prix.
Lazza
Guest
It cost $200m for that stupid “Where the hell are you?” TV advert that we used to promote Australia around the world. That was considered to be an epic failure so what’s $50m to host an event that the world actually watches? It costs a heck of a lot of money to publicise your city/country around the world. That’s why everyone bids for these events, it’s actually cheaper and more cost effective.
William
Guest
I don't want Indy Car driving around Albert Park but Indy Cars are a good fit for GC. They should bring GP2 and GP3 to Albert Park along with an extended V8 Supercars and Porsche Carrera Cup as Ten has the exclusive rights to V8s now from 2015 onwards.
Graham Sanyo
Guest
What about Brisvegas?
Johnno
Guest
Bobo, a good article with good pics of the street circuit, magic with the pub packed to the rafters, and overlooking the street circuit just metres away. You can feel the passion just in the pictures. http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/motor-sport/adelaide-remember-when-we-had-the-formula-1-grand-prix/story-fnii0it1-1226840662961
Johnno
Guest
That's the key word alive, well said Hambone. For Melbourne the F1 Grand Prix, is just an event, but the Melbourne Cup grabs the heart of the city and Melbourne comes alive, same with Adelaide. F1 GP was Adelaide's Melbourne cup. I've been to both the Adelaide and the Melbourne F1, and Adelaide had far more alive factor and tension, and the whole city and the drivers connected, you could feel that player-fan connection. And for whatever reason I actually now prefer the final F1 GP being in Australia at the last race of the season, not the start of the season, the final F1 of the season always seems to have alot of emotion and controversy, and sometimes real tension as drivers are going for the title.
Hambone
Guest
hailing from adelaide and then moving across to melbourne.. there is a real difference when the GP is in town, melb does it well, but adelaide came alive for 5 days.. for oz to lose it would be a real shame, but i think melb needs to really pick it up another notch and get behind it again properly..
Bobo
Guest
Adelaide was the one street circuit all of the drivers loved. The city loved them back. If an Aussie GP is to be held anywhere is Oz, it shoudl bein Adelaide.
Conor Hickey
Roar Pro
I'd love to see it stay, and hope it does stay because I've never been to a Grand Prix and may never get a chance if it leaves Australia. Having said that I think every year the Victorian Government is going to think harder and harder about the massive amount of money that goes directly to Bernie's pocket. In 2010, I believe though could be mistaken, they paid $51 million to host the GP. That is an extraordinary amount on money, and they have to be able to justify that spending to the public. Right now they can say that they get unpaid advertising for the city, and all the business brought in is good for the local economy but I think somewhere along the way Bernie's fee will get too high.
Bonnie Baker
Roar Rookie
AR, I agree in there not really being an argument for Sydney. Also, there is a majority of the NSW population that associate a stigma attached to the areas of Eastern Creek and Homebush, potentially tainting the image of the Monaco-esque cachet that Melbourne currently holds.
AR
Guest
Other than the stunning visual backdrop of the city, I can't really see an argument for Sydney. Logistically, it would be impossible to create a city circuit (and cost Sydney far more than $50M), and Homebush or Eastern Creek for Formula 1..?...meh. Eccleston has said before that it's Melbourne or nowhere, and Albert Park Lake provides a pretty seamless precinct for the race each year. I don't think the race is going anywhere.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Bernie said he's not going to take the GP to NSW or any other state if they can't keep it going in Melbourne. As NCB said, this debate comes on every year and every year we hear the same spiel from the anti-Grand Prix people. This year I've started to hear complaints about the 'lack of noise' now and that being a potential factor to not sign on for a new contract. Melbourne is going to loose much of its exposure if it decides to cut the race. The tennis will be the only major international sorting event that we'll see here then in the future. Though next year I predict we may see more numbers flow through the gates at Albert Park because of the cricket World Cup which will be on at the same time and the amount of visitors that'll already bring. As a proud Melbournian and passionate F1 fan, it would be extremely sad to see such a mega event be taken away from a city that prides itself as being the 'sporting capital of the world'.
Poss77
Guest
It would be a real shame if F1 didn't come to Australia, and it would certainly be a big loss for Melbourne. I am a Gold Coast guy and when we lost the Indy Car championship , race fever was never really recaptured by the V8's alone. The Melbourne government needs to do all they can to keep the iconic event and realize the prestige they have as being the first race of the F1 calendar!
Nicholas Belardo
Roar Guru
This debate comes up every year, and personally, if anywhere in Australia should host the race, it's Melbourne or Adelaide. Unless of course, Bathurst comes up to scratch for FIA homologation. Albert Park is a very good temporary circuit, so good that it in fact could pass as permanent to some, and as already brought up, Formula 1 loves the place. Despite there being only a few overtaking opportunities, there has still been quite a few entertaining races in Melbourne. And the same could be said about Adelaide. If Sydney were to host the race, Eastern Creek is all the FIA would look at, I think. Either that, or a harbour street race. Basically, it really all comes down to whether the Victorian government still wants to pay for what needs to be paid to host the event. And they seem to be prerty happy with what the Grand Prix has brought to Melbourne for the past 18 years.
Johnno
Guest
Yes. I think mainstream Australians will mis the GP if it goes overseas. It's an iconic event in Australian sport, some of Australia's best sporting memories have been in F1, from Adelaide to Melbourne. But for whatever reason, Adelaide had a magic about it, that Melbourne has well never had in F1. I can remember when it was on in Adelaide the hype was huge, and in Adelaide too, it was a way of life. I went to the Adelaide F1 GP, and as soon as you get off the airport, on the freeway a F1 billboard promoting the F1 GP all year round. The loud engines too. And the Adelaide GP was smack bang right in the centre of the city, basically like in Sydney down Town Hall train station, so it was really intimate like Monaco. And the whole city got behind it, all Adelaide had was the grand prix,the crows, the 36er's, Adelaide Oval, and Phil Smyth. Take the F1 Grand prix back to Adelaide, if you have to.