2022 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix weekend tickets sold out

If you don't have a ticket for this year's Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, you might just be out of luck as the 2022 race weekend has officially sold out.

The Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC) has announced the ticket allocation for the third round of this year's Formula 1 championship has been exhausted, the first time since the event moved to Melbourne's Albert Park in 1996.

While tickets for Sunday's race day sold out towards the end of February – some six weeks out from the event – the sell-out Saturday will make it the highest-attended qualifying day in the race's Australian history, helping the Australian Grand Prix to one of its biggest aggregate crowds ever.

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Although capped numbers due to labour shortages means the event won't topple the numbers seen in 1996, AGPC CEO Andrew Westacott believes Saturday attendance will set a new record, while Sunday will rank in the top five of the race's history.

"It's not only a sell-out on Sunday but we've had to sadly announce Saturday has sold out as well, which will hopefully push demand to Friday," said Westacott.

“We expect that we’re going to have the biggest or one of the biggest aggregate crowds in the history of the event.

"We won’t surpass the opening round numbers in 1996 of 154,000 on Sunday, but we expect to have about the second or third highest attendance on a Sunday, possibly the highest attendance ever on a Saturday and on a Friday, maybe that also moves into Thursday as well as we move closer to the event.”

The Australian Grand Prix was at the epicentre of the global coronavirus pandemic, with the event being called off on March 13, 2020 just hours before Formula 1 cars were meant to hit the track for the first time that season.

Despite trying to secure a date last year, quarantine and vaccination requirements meant the event had to be cancelled for a second year running, as the 2022 race weekend signifies 1100 days since Formula 1 cars were last driven around Albert Park.

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Westacott said the lengthy delays plus the intensity of the past two seasons has added to the hype of this year's race.

"It shows there's an insatiable appetite for the greatest racing spectacle on the planet – what we've missed for the last couple of years, we're going to see live at Albert Park," said Westacott.

"I think it's been built up by Drive to Survive, Daniel Ricciardo's exploits in Monza last year and the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

"People are being drawn to the sport, but they're also being drawn to Albert Park because we do put on a show and we'll be proud to put on a great show in 16 days when cars hit the track."

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Track changes have been made to the circuit for the first time since it joined the calendar in 1996, with more overtaking zones expected to lift Albert Park to become one of the best facilities on the 23-race calendar.

"What we always try to do is raise the bar every year because the bar keeps getting higher with new circuits like Zandvoort, as well as the show they put on in Mexico and Austin, Texas," Westacott added.

"We always want to be the best in the world so what we have to do here in Melbourne is strive to achieve greatness every time we host the event.

"What we've done is provide $20 million to upgrade the circuit – we think with the new cars and the changes we've made, it's going to be more exciting for the fans on TV as well as at the circuit.

"As well as the circuit changes, we've had to put in some 41 super-screens around the venue, we've got five new grandstands and about 17 corporate facilities at various locations.

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Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft said the combination of track changes, car changes and an emergence of a younger audience for Formula 1 means this year's Australian Grand Prix is expected to add to the festival atmosphere of the event.

"Formula 1 and the paddock isn't the sort of place where a lot of people agree with a lot of things, but I think the one thing we all agree about is that we've been away from Australia for far too long," said Croft.

"The Formula 1 fraternity wants to come back and show Australia exactly what they've been missing for the past few years, and they've been missing a sport they truly love.

"Some countries host a race, some countries embrace a race and Australia very much embraces Formula 1 – it's a proper festival of motorsport.

"The track has changed a bit as well – it's been resurfaced, the bumps have gone, which is good for the new cars and regulations because the suspension is a lot stiffer in 2022.

"We've got wider entry for some of the corners at Turn 1, Turn 3, Turn 6, got rid of the chicane at Turn 9 and 10 to add another DRS (drag reduction system) zone which means drivers will be even harder on the brakes into Turn 11, which has also been reprofiled – all of which should make for better racing."

The Australian Grand Prix is set to take place from April 7 to 10 at Melbourne's Albert Park Circuit.