Albert Park broke its attendance record at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, with a total of 465,498 spectators attending over the four-day weekend.
With increased capacity, Albert Park broke its attendance record at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, with 465,498 fans passing through the circuit gates over the four-day race weekend. The attendance figure is an improvement of over 10,000 on the 2024 figure.
A Record Breaking Start to 2025
Albert Park posted record-breaking figures on the first three days of the 2025 Australian Grand Prix weekend. The first day of on-track action on Thursday – which features no Formula 1 cars on track – was attended by 72,056. It’s a 7,000 increase on the 2024 figure.
In terms of official figures, 154,000 on race day in 1996 remains the single day record for Albert Park, though considerable doubt has been cast on the accuracy of reported figures at early races in Melbourne.
Friday attracted 125,000 fans – more than many races attract on race day and an increase of around 1,500 on last year. Qualifying day saw 136,347 in attendance – an increase of over 5,000 on the Saturday attendance in 2024.
Capacity was expanded ahead of the 2025 race to cater for demand, which has seen the attendance figure increase by well over 130,000 since the last pre-pandemic race at Albert Park in 2019.
Attendances in Melbourne had been capped at around 130,000 per day prior to the 2025 Australian Grand Prix but that number had clearly been increased for this year’s race. As well as an increased daily cap, there was a new 840-seat grandstand located at Turn 6, which further helped to boost numbers.
Last year, the Australian Grand Prix ranked as the second-best attended race weekend of the entire season, bettered only by the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, which 480,000 fans attended over the four days. Tickets have not yet sold out for this year’s British Grand Prix, set to take place in July, so it is conceivable that the Albert Park number may not be matched for the rest of the year.
The figure does not beat the best-ever Australian Grand Prix attendance, which was set in 1995 at Adelaide when 520,000 fans attended over the four days. It remains the best-attended F1 race on record.
Trackside Experience Improved for Fans at 2025 Australian Grand Prix
Ahead of the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, race organisers documented the ways in which they had improved the trackside experience for fans at Albert Park. They noted that there was a 22% increase in superscreens around the circuit, 23% more hydration stations, 27% more public bars and 17% more toilets compared to 2024.
Organisers also improved fan experience by increasing shaded areas at the track (although they were not needed on Sunday!) and added a new pontoon and a new overpass to help fans find their way around the track more efficiently. The improvements were noticed by race-going fans in our Facebook group, who compliment organisation in and around the track and noted a lack of queueing for food and amenities despite the increased capacity.
As ever at Albert Park, the Formula 1 race was supported by action from other series, including the ever-popular Supercars championship and F1’s feeder series Formula 2 and Formula 3. Off track, nightly concerts came from the likes of Fatboy Slim, The Living End and Tones & I.
Melbourne once again embraced F1’s presence as the sport arrived in the city. This was the first time since 2019 that the city hosted the season-opening race. Melbourne-born Piastri kicked off Australian Grand Prix race week by announcing that he’d signed a multi-year contract extension with McLaren, which will be a major positive for race organisers, who are guaranteed an Australian driver on the grid for the foreseeable future.
Piastri’s presence on the grid has certainly helped attendance figures thrive in Melbourne in the last few years. Capacity could be expanded even further in 2026, with the opening of the new Anzac Station nearby making the track even more accessible to more fans.
With the longest contract of any current race, the Australian Grand Prix is set to appear on the Formula 1 calendar until at least 2037. It’s likely that Albert Park will be the season-opening race once more in 2026, with the track contracted to be the first race of the season at least three more times before the end of its current contract.
