Record-Breaking 483,000 Fans Witness Mercedes 1-2 at 2026 Australian Grand Prix

The 2026 Formula 1 season officially launched at Albert Park with a record-shattering weekend that solidified the event’s status as a global sporting titan.

A total weekend crowd of 483,934 fans attended the four-day festival, marking the highest attendance in the circuit’s thirty-year history on the F1 calendar and ranking as the third-highest weekend total in the history of the sport. This figure represents a robust year-on-year growth of nearly 20,000 spectators compared to the 465,498 recorded in 2025.

The event demonstrated massive engagement from the outset, with a record 86,210 fans attending on Thursday and 125,725 on Friday.

Saturday’s qualifying session drew 134,130 people, while Sunday’s race day saw a peak attendance of 136,935, pushing the venue toward its newly expanded capacity of 141,000.

On the track, the race marked the debut of the sport’s new-for-2026 technical regulations, which saw George Russell lead teammate Kimi Antonelli to a commanding 1-2 finish, the first such result for Mercedes in Melbourne since 2019.

Despite the celebratory atmosphere of the thirtieth anniversary of the race moving from Adelaide to Melbourne, local supporters faced significant heartbreak. Oscar Piastri, who was honored with a sold-out namesake grandstand on the main straight, crashed out on his way to the grid. His absence from the starting line meant that 2026 was the first time since 2001 that no Australian drivers featured in the starting grid for their home Grand Prix.

Logistically, the weekend was bolstered by significant infrastructure upgrades, including the November 2025 opening of Anzac Station and a tripling of capacity for the main overpass, which successfully mitigated the congestion issues of previous years.

While the record weekend total remains just shy of the all-time national record of 520,000 set in Adelaide in 1995, the 2026 event sets a new commercial benchmark for the future of Formula 1 in Victoria.

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