More than 46,000 fans attend first day of Formula One fiesta at Albert Park

by:
Peter Rolfe From:
Herald Sun March 14, 2013
8:39PM

THE Formula One Grand Prix carnival is off and racing in Melbourne once again.

Love it or loathe it, the Grand Prix has taken over the heart of the city, with fast cars and international stars descending for the opening round of the F1 world championship.

Thousands of fans flocked to the track free of charge for Australian GP "heritage day", marking the 60th anniversary of the first race at Albert Park.

The Australian Grand Prix Corporation posted an estimated attendance of 46,800 for the first day of the four-day event, with brilliant sunshine greeting fans decked from head to toe in their favourite team colours.

The strong opening day attendance came without a Formula One driver putting their high-speed machine to the test, as the first F1 practice sessions start today and qualifying tomorrow before Sunday's season-opening race.

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The unmistakable roar of F1 engines will reverberate through inner-city suburbs for the next three days as fans travel from all corners of the state, Australia and overseas to watch the globe-hopping Grand Prix circus and a paddock full of petrolhead entertainment.

Drivers hailed Melbourne as one of the great grands prix in the world and urged officials to lock in a new long-term contract to guarantee its future.

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, from Germany, said the naysayers should balance the cost to taxpayers with what the event brought in marketability.

"Sometimes it's difficult because of course it costs money, but the awareness that it gives is so big for Melbourne," he said.

."It puts Melbourne on the map for everybody in the world. It's massive."
Victorian Governor Alex Chernov officially opened the Grand Prix last night at a Government House ceremony.

Earlier, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa unveiled the world's first, life-size Lego Formula One Ferrari model car at a ceremony in Docklands.

Australian drivers Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo supported a push to have pre-season grand prix testing moved from Europe to Australia to improve data collection in warmer conditions.

Bookies have framed markets on everything from crowd figures to whether Melbourne will keep the event or kiss it goodbye when its current contract expires in 2015.

Sportsbet spokesman Shaun Anderson said the online agency was offering punters odds of $8 for an Australian winner of this year's race, $2.63 for an Aussie to finish in the top three, and $6.50 that next year's Albert Park race would be a night race.

"While there has been plenty of talk of the Grand Prix moving to a night start, the punters couldn't disagree more and are tipping things will stay as is," he said.

peter.rolfe@news.com.au

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