1 day ago
14
The F1 pit lane facilities will be upgraded for the first time since the Australian Grand Prix moved to Melbourne.
The Albert Park pit lane complex will be replaced for the Australian F1 Grand Prix with completion expected ahead of the 2028 race.
First reported by motorsport site Speedcafe, Development Victoria is planning to replace the current building – built before the Grand Prix moved from Adelaide to Melbourne in 1996 – in time for the 2028 Australian F1 Grand Prix.
“We are delivering the redevelopment of the Albert Park pit building to meet the contemporary requirements to host the Formula One Australian Grand Prix and maximise its use by the community throughout the rest of the year,” Development Victoria said in a statement.
“The existing Albert Park pit building was built in 1995 and is used by the Australian Grand Prix Corporation for the annual Formula One event.
“For the remainder of the year, it is home to local indoor sport and a range of community sporting clubs that utilise the adjacent sporting fields.”
The current building will be demolished after the 2026 race, with new garage facilities in use the following year, and the completed building – housing race day facilities for staff, race administration and media – ready for 2028.
Albert Park is locked in to run a Formula One (F1) Grand Prix until 2037 – one of the longest current agreements on the 24-race calendar – with new pit facility part of the agreement between the AGPC (Australian Grand Prix Corporation) and F1.
The Melbourne event – a race-day sell out for the third year in a row in 2025 – has seen increased crowd capacity as facilities have been upgraded, resulting in repeat record attendance across the four-day event.
Boosting local interest is the arrival of a second Australian driver on the grid, with Jack Doohan racing for Alpine in his first appearance in Melbourne alongside McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
Upgrades for 2025 have seen the event into four precincts: Lakeside, Motorsport Straight, Melbourne Junction and Pit Stop Park.
A free ‘F1 Melbourne Fan Festival 2025’ has been introduced catering for fans who could not get grand prix tickets, with driver and special guest appearances and other attractions at Melbourne Park Oval.
Fans are permitted to cross the track after the race – after it was outlawed last year with fans facing significant fines from Victoria Police if making any attempt – rebranded as the 'Track Walk'.
The pits for the V8 Supercars Championship teams have also been moved to the outside of the circuit at Turn 14 to allow more public access.
A new grandstand has been opened at Turn 6, where the circuit has also been changed after several incidents in previous races, including George Russell’s Mercedes-Benz left stricken in the middle of the track last year, with Alex Albon writing off his Williams at the same spot in 2023.
Major track upgrades were also made in 2022, including the re-shaping of several corners, a wider pit-lane with a 20km/h speed limit increase to 80km/h, as well as additional grandstands to increase capacity.
