The future fate of the popular Australian touring car series Supercars, which traditionally takes place at Melbourne’s Albert Park during the Grand Prix, is in question for a number of reasons. At the same time, the Formula 1 teams want these support races to remain in the program of the Australian weekend, as this is one of the “trademarks” of the differences with other stages of the world championship.
Since 2023, stages of the F2 and F3 youth series began to take place in Melbourne, and partly the problems with the organization of Supercars races are related to this. Formula 2 teams now sit in the pit lane, which was once built especially for Supercars. This reduces the distance of the races in the touring car series to a sprint, they are held without pit stops and temporary structures are used as pits for Supercars.
At the same time, fans can no longer enter this makeshift Supercars paddock; In addition, it has become much more difficult for teams to receive their guests and sponsors.
Another problem is that when there are more preliminary races, it is much more difficult to create a balanced weekend schedule. Accidents and the inevitable delays that come with them can put you in time trouble, which everyone naturally wants to avoid.
With the Formula 1 season starting in Melbourne next year and the Australian Grand Prix reportedly set to take place on March 9, there is a risk that the Supercars races that traditionally accompany the Melbourne weekend may have to be scrapped. But local promoters remain optimistic, and part of that is based on the fact that Formula 1 teams want these support races to remain part of the Albert Park round.
“I have had the opportunity to meet both the Formula 1 team directors and Stefano Domenicali, and they all emphasize the importance of maintaining the individuality of each World Cup event,” said Australian Grand Prix CEO Travis Auld. – When fans come to watch our Grand Prix, they should have the feeling that this Grand Prix is taking place in Melbourne.
Actually, this is all pretty obvious: we’re in a park, our city is nearby and Supercars racing is an important part of Australian traditions. When I spoke to the heads of several Formula 1 teams, they stated unequivocally that they liked this series. They enjoy all the preliminary races as everyone does their part over the weekend. They all make our Grand Prix truly Melbourne and Australian.
That’s why we want to maintain the characteristics of our weekend that have made it so popular.”
However, the Australian promoters’ contract with the Supercars series to organize support races is currently only for this weekend.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
