Melbourne's Albert Park will continue to host the Australian GP until 2035 after striking a new deal to remain on the calendar.
Melbourne's Albert Park will continue to host the Australian GP until 2035 after striking a new deal to remain on the calendar.
The new contract means that the venue will approach 40 years as a regular Formula One circuit, having first hosted a GP in 1996.
It is understood that Melbourne fought off interest from other cities that made proposals to move the event out of Albert Park from 2026, including Sydney.
However, it has been agreed that Melbourne offers the best possible commercial deal for F1 as it is a place with experience and a successful track record in staging events.
F1's 2023 calendar has not yet been finalized and it is unclear where the Australian GP will fit in.
The China GP, which is under contract to return in 2023, remains an uncertainty due to the covid pandemic, while Monaco, Belgium, and France continue to negotiate the extension of their agreements.
There are also talks about reinstating the South African GP, last held in 1993, but nothing has been signed as yet.
Stefano Domenicali, F1's CEO, is aiming to reorganize the calendar for 2023 by eliminating unnecessary long trips.
This means Australia should not continue between Saudi Arabia and Italy as it did in 2022, with cargo needing to be shipped from the Middle East to Australia and then back to the Middle East on its way to Europe.