22/02/2011
FEATURE BY MAT COCH
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The future of the Australian Grand Prix beyond its current 2015 contract has been the subject of a lot of speculation lately. In an article published by the Herald Sun, Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle was openly critical of the event, suggesting it had served its purpose and is no longer needed.
Doyle's comments were designed to spark a reaction from Bernie Ecclestone, deliberately labelling the sport's supremo "notoriously difficult, contentious and cranky." Already unpopular, Ecclestone's retort did not endear him or the race to the Australian public.
Not that it matters a great deal to Ecclestone. With countries such as Russia, India, the United States and others all poised to host Grands Prix in the near future there are no shortage of alternatives should Melbourne decide it has had enough. The question is, however, has Australia had enough?
Attendance figures at Albert Park have been steady over the past few years at around 300,000 across the weekend. There are some questions over just how that figure is calculated, but in the absence of an alternative we'll take it as fact. That figure is down from a few years ago, though comes nowhere near the 510,000 people who walked through the gate at the final Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide back in 1995. But while attendance figures remain stable the cost of hosting the event increases, meaning rate of return has to decline. The event is costing the Victorian tax payer more and more, and many have simply had enough.
In his article Doyle suggested the Grand Prix find a new home. He has a point, after all the Albert Park circuit is a temporary street circuit which isn't cheap to set up and pull down each year. And with the race now being held at dusk it is becoming increasingly unpopular with both drivers and locals.
The idea of holding a Grand Prix elsewhere is an interesting idea, though the fact of the matter is there really is nowhere else to move the race to. Australia doesn't have an F1 quality race track and lacks the interest to build one.
One of Doyle's suggestions was to build a circuit in Avalon, an area near Geelong about 90km south west of Melbourne. The site has land available for a circuit which is currently leased by transport magnate Lindsay Fox. It was implied that perhaps Fox might wish to front up the cash for a new F1 spec venue alongside the Avalon airport. Even a race around the streets of Geelong was suggested, with the Geelong Esplanade featuring predominantly in the circuit layout.
Local media seized on the idea and quoted government and council officials as being in favour of the plan, though in reality it's not something that would ever happen. When contacted by Pitpass a spokesman for the City of Geelong ruled out a race around the city itself, and Fox didn't make his money by spending it. Given that in Geelong the race would remain in Victoria, and that the government is already under pressure regarding its future, there seems little chance it would be willing to pursue the idea unless it was funded by private investment.
Similarly Pitpass reported in September that Calder Park, also in Victoria, was being touted as another potential host for the Grand Prix. At the time circuit owner Bob Jane was investing in the circuit to return it to a state fit for racing, indeed after a number of years off the local racing calendar it returns for 2011 using a combined road and oval course. The circuit however is in no state for Formula One, and would also need heavy investment to bring it up to scratch. The circuit is hemmed in by new residential areas and it seems unlikely Jane will be looking to invest large sums of money when he can sit on the land before subdividing it off for almost a million dollars an acre in a few years time.
Much the same goes for Eastern Creek in New South Wales. The former home of the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix was going to receive a $93million AUD investment to transform the circuit into something close to a Formula One facility. That never happened, and instead a recent announcement stated that a $9million AUD investment will be made to create a separate pit complex so the circuit can be run as two separate venues in an attempt to alleviate some of the pressure on local racing circuits since Oran Park closed its doors (and was promptly bulldozed) at the end of 2009.
Other Australian circuits such as Queensland Raceway, Morgan Park, Wakefield Park, Winton and Barbagello barely rate a mention, with only Philip Island anywhere near the standard needed for a modern Formula One car. Even there, significant investment and alterations to the circuit would have to be made, and given the venue already hosts the Australian MotoGP that seems difficult to imagine.
The only viable alternative is a street race. Albert Park has proved that such a race is generally not only expensive but unpopular, as residents are inconvenienced by the creation of a temporary circuit around their homes. It was a problem Adelaide hardly faced when it played host during the 1980's and 1990's because the circuit was based largely in parklands to the east of the circuit. Bordered by cafes, pubs and the odd office block very few houses were impacted, and those that were generally got rented out by profiteering locals, often to the teams themselves.
Adelaide though has moved on from the Grand Prix, and while many are still bitter at the Victorians for its 'theft' it has more than been replaced with a touring car race around a truncated version of the Grand Prix circuit. It is a hugely popular and successful event costing a fraction of Formula One. Why add a more expensive and less popular (at least in Australia) event? After eleven years in Adelaide the city had grown tired of the race, and only when it was announced that Melbourne had 'stolen' the race did the flagging attendances rise. The race served a purpose in Adelaide, and gave the city of churches an identity on the global stage.
Another proposed venue is around the streets of Sydney. Australia's biggest city, Sydney has hosted the Olympics and now runs a touring car race around the old Olympic site. In 2010 NSW Premier Kristina Keneally claimed that the state was interested in the Grand Prix, and gave the impression that it would actively seek the race. Since then nothing has happened. Indeed, the Premier's office failed to respond to Pitpass' enquiries.
The Opposition meanwhile was a different story. With an election on the horizon Barry O'Farrell had been quoted in some sections of the media as saying that under his leadership the state would actively seek out large events, such as the Grand Prix. A spokesman for O'Farrell denied the claim, suggesting he'd been misquoted. The only way Sydney would be interested in the Grand Prix, the spokesperson continued, was if the race could be run on a Saturday afternoon, though that still didn't address problems such as location and cost.
As it stands, there are believed to have been no communications from either the NSW government or opposition parties with Bernie Ecclestone or Formula One Management in regards to poaching the Grand Prix from Victoria.
Equally unlikely is the Grand Prix heading to Queensland. In recent weeks the state has been ravaged by flood and cyclones, leaving much of the state devastated. The rebuilding process will take not only a significant amount of time but also money, indeed Australian's are being taxed a 'flood levy' to assist with the rebuilding process. The Queensland government already supports a number of V8 Supercar races (Australia's premier racing category) there seems little chance a Formula One race could be squeezed in, even if the old CART venue around Surfers Paradise looks almost ideal.
Northern Territory and Tasmania simply don't have the infrastructure, one pundit suggesting Tasmania would never host a race as it's about as far geographically as possible from Bernie's house. The state also doesn't have many of the things needed to host a world class event; there is no international airport, for example, and it's not hosted an event of anything like the calibre of a Grand Prix before. The Northern Territory has nothing to gain from an event, the 'top end' of Australia already boasts huge numbers of tourists keen to experience the outback first hand. A Grand Prix is unlikely to fit into the tourism plans in place, nor add value to the Territory.
Canberra, Australia's Capital Territory, is equally unlikely. Very much a government town filled with public servants even the immensely popular V8 Supercars couldn't make a race around its streets work.
It leaves only Western Australia, a state which has hosted the Australian leg of the World Rally Championship and has riches thanks to the mining industry. The west coast of Australia is two hours behind the east coast, meaning a 5pm start in Melbourne is a 3pm start in Perth. A move to WA would allow the race to be pushed back later still, to further comply with the European television audience, potentially into the evening as was unsuccessfully pushed for in Melbourne.
But Perth and Western Australia don't have a circuit other than Barbagello, which as mentioned above is not Formula One spec by any stretch, meaning any race would almost certainly be a street circuit. The vast distances involved in transporting cars from the eastern states to the west would seem to rule out any hope for a permanent venue, as it would lay dormant for much of the year save perhaps a new V8 Supercar race and local club level racing.
Improved transport links in recent years have made the city centre more accessible, while the city skyline is especially picturesque as seen by the Red Bull Air Race held over the Swan River. The city is more akin to Adelaide than Melbourne and the people are more relaxed than in larger cities like Sydney. It seems the ideal location, or more to the point, the only location, should the Grand Prix remain in Australia beyond 2015.
Melbourne has had the race for fifteen years this time around, and is losing money fast. Retaining the event seems like suicide for any politician wishing to remain in, or take, office. With Sydney seemingly out of the question and no other realistic alternatives it seems Perth may be Australia's best bet come 2016.
To check out previous features from Mat, click here