Ticket sales for the first Australian Grand Prix since 2019 (2020 was canceled just before the start) have been insane. After the first days of sale, the organizers had to hang the Sold Out sign (everything sold) for Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets for Thursday and Friday have also been selling out quite fast, as fans are keen to welcome Formula 1 back to a newly revamped circuit like Albert Park.
Despite the avalanche of tickets sold, the organizers of the Australian Grand Prix assure that there will be no record attendance on race day.
While breaking the four-day record together is doable, the benchmark for race day is 154,000 spectators, the number of attendees at Melbourne ‘s first race in 1996, a figure they won’t be able to reach in 2022.
This is due to a maximum attendance limit of around 130,000, imposed by the organization of the Australian Grand Prix to ensure that the quality of the event is not compromised by the shortage of manpower that is being suffered throughout the country due to the COVID-19.
“We expect to have one of the largest total attendances in the event’s history,” said Andrew Westacott , executive director of the AGPC .
“We won’t beat the numbers from the inaugural race in 1996 with 154,000 spectators, but we expect to have the second or third highest attendance on a Sunday, Friday and Saturday possibly the highest.”
“And maybe that will be reflected on Thursday as well as we get closer to the grand prix.”
Westacott said the labor shortage was clearly noticeable in the recruitment of staff for the event, which would normally be fully booked by now.
“In recent discussions with our three staffing providers, we’ve come to the conclusion that we’re doing well right now [in terms of headcount].”
“But as the numbers go up, we’d have to beef up the staff. That’s why we’re capping attendance at 125 or 130,000, so the experiences we’re going to give are going to be top-tier.”
“We want to make sure we meet all the standards that are expected at a Formula 1 event and expected by all Melbourne people,” he concluded.
Victoria’s Minister for Sport, Tourism and Major Events Martin Pakula said he was confident the AGP could sort out the staffing issues, and encouraged interested workers to contact the AGPC .
“What we have learned these months is that there is a labor shortage and we are doing everything we can to make sure we have enough staff.”
“What I would say to those people who might be looking for overtime is that you won’t find a more exciting place to work than Albert Park during that week,” he concluded.
The 2022 Australian Grand Prix will take place next weekend, from April 8 to 10, and will be the third round of a season that could not start in a more exciting way, with Ferrari and Red Bull fighting for victories and giving away great duels on the track to the fans.
