Organisers of the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix have been forced to make an alteration to the circuit ahead of hosting the 2025 World Championship opener.
Eagle-eyed F1 fans will notice that the track markings will be painted white, rather than the usual yellow and green they have been in previous visits down under.
As a street circuit configured around a public park, the Albert Park track has been afforded leeway with certain rules, but the FIA have stipulated the changes must be made for 2025.
This unique change comes as the organisers also sought to make further alterations to the track in response to incidents at last season’s race at Turns 6 and 7.
The Chief Events Officer for the Australian Grand Prix, Tom Mottram, told Speedcafe: “We’re a bit of a unique on there.
“I had to go back to the archives a bit to understand why [the track markings were] yellow, and it’s to do with the fact we’re in a public park.
“It was this kind of funny ‘no standing’ – there’s some yellow lines painted throughout the year which is no parking when it’s in the hands of Parks Victoria.
“There was an agreement struck years and years ago where we could just keep it yellow so we weren’t repainting every time.
“But now, with the changes to track limits, there’s new specs around it needs to be white with a blue outline.”
Albert Park’s illustrious F1 past
The Albert Park Circuit made its debut as host of the Australian Grand Prix in 1996, taking over from Adelaide and in doing so, becoming the first – rather than the last – race on the calendar, as per the schedule of its predecessor.
It has gone on to be a staple of the calendar, appearing either as the opening round or, at the very least, an early date on the Grand Prix schedule.
The record for the most wins on the circuit is Michael Schumacher, who took victory in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004.
The race was cancelled in 2020 after the outbreak of the Covid pandemic sparked worldwide lockdowns, truncating that year’s World Championship, with a further cancellation due to continued risk to health in 2021.
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