WITHOUT a doubt, it is the biggest event in Australian motorsport, with the world coming to Albert Park.
For those playing along at home, here’s what you might have missed – it’s our Australian Grand Prix notebook.
Packing them in
Some 137,869 fans on race day and 483,934 in total visited the AGP, with the sold-out crowd accommodated in a mix of even more grandstands and further enlarged corporate facilities.
In a first for the event, a grandstand was built over the top of the exit tunnel from the paddock area, creating a truly impressive amphitheatre from the penultimate turn through the pit straight.
Around the grounds
Beyond cars racing around the Albert Park Lake, the Grand Prix is truly an ‘event’, with a remarkable array of activities and activations across various precincts around the track: Trackside Green, Pitstop Park, Lakeside, Melbourne Junction and Motorsport Straight.
From the National Pickleball League to basketball, there were massive shade structures that accommodated thousands of fans, even when Formula 1 was on track.
The Innovation Hub featured some fantastic technology showcases from local universities, while the Albert Park Golf Course, which housed an expanded array of activities, utilised the break in play to remodel its third and eighth holes, add new paths and a fresh fairway irrigation system.
The great Albert Park stampede
While Pamploma has the Running of the Bulls, Melbourne has the Running of the Fans, who sprint from the various gates around the precinct to get a front row start at the unique Melbourne Walk, where drivers and associated celebrities pass by en route to the F1 paddock.
Merchandi$e
…and a vast majority of fans trackside were kitted out in latest gear from their favourite squadrons. Prices varied, but items were not exactly cheap.
Branding up
Formula 1 has recently shacked up with a growing array of fast-moving consumer goods brands, including Pepsico (Doritos) and Nestle (KitKat), with the former offering a special viewing platform and expedited entry to fans who invested in fully loaded nachos.
Elsewhere, the partnerships with kids (also: adults) toy providers Hot Wheels and Lego proved incredibly popular at Albert Park.
The Hot Wheels retail offering ranged from $4 for a single base-model car to the full-field premium offering of 20 cars for $289.80.
Like the Bluey Hammerbarn-Bunnings Warehouse collaboration locally (which has locked in a future generation of hardware enthusiasts), F1 is now a staple of kids’ playrooms worldwide.
Manufacturing fans
Car manufacturers didn’t miss out on the fun either, with Toyota, Cadillac, Ford and Porsche activating hard at the event, all with a motorsport theme.
Historically speaking
It was a tough outing for the historic demonstration runs, who lost their final slot on Saturday after an earlier F3 crash shortened up the program.
Friday was a particularly bad one for this Brabham BT31, which found the fence at turn one.
Being a demonstration run, cars were able to hit the track with all of their original aerodynamic aids, even if they were ultimately outlawed in the period.
A percentage of the field, including the #29 King Cobra, will be staying in Victoria for this weekend’s VHRR Phillip Island Penrite 100 Classic.
Give me a lift
Logistically, the Australian Grand Prix is kind of a big deal, with many systems and supply chains in play.
Behind the event is Team 18 owner Charlie Schwerkolt’s Waverley Forklifts operation, which supplies around 200 forklifts from the company’s national fleet of 7,000 units.
High-tech Toyota
What do you do when you want to test all of the camera and communications systems needed in a Formula 1 race when the cars hit the track on Friday?
Send out a Toyota Camry rental car on Wednesday!
Grand Prix throwback
Included in the aerial display from the RAAF were a Spitfire and Mustang from the historic 100SQN, which has a base at Point Cook.
The Point Cook airfield, located 20km as the crow flies across Port Phillip Bay from Albert Park, actually hosted Melbourne’s first ever Australian Grand Prix in 1948.
V8 Sleuth recently reported that the site is earmarked to be sold off.
Looooong days
Spare a thought for the many volunteers who made the event possible.
Take, for instance, these marshals, who were set up on point at 6:30am Saturday ahead of the 7:30am Supercars passenger ride session.
Their day ended when the chequered flag for the Porsche Carrera Cup dropped at 7:28pm.
We thank you for your service!
Sea patrol
Rescue services were not confined to firm land.
SES Rescue boats patrolled not only the north and south sections of the track, but a third boat was positioned between the two pedestrian bridges, just in case something went wrong.
Tool time
If you worked at turn six and lost a crowbar, or turn one and lost a squeegee broom, we have news for you…
The VHRR is an advertising partner of V8 Sleuth
2010 Japanese driver Ryo Orime’s V8 Ute Crash at Sydney Olympic Park
Japanese driver Ryo Orime’s race debut in the Aussie V8 Ute series only lasted half a lap before this massive pile-up in 2010 when he fell victim to the tough Sydney Olympic Park street circuit.