Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit

The Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit is a street circuit around Albert Park Lake, only a few kilometres south of central Melbourne. It is used annually as a racetrack for the Formula One Australian Grand Prix, Supercars Challenge and associated support races. The circuit has FIA Grade 1 licence. In spite of being a circuit on public roads it has characteristics of a natural road course considering it being fast and flowing combined with extensive runoff in many corners.The Australian Grand Prix has always been more of a promoter event than a profit-raiser in itself. The contract was prolonged until 2020, although tobacco advertising has been banned since 2007.DesignThe circuit uses everyday sections of road that circle Albert Park Lake, a small man-altered lake just south of the Central Business District of Melbourne. The road sections that are used were rebuilt prior to the inaugural event in 1996 to ensure consistency and smoothness. As a result, compared to other circuits that are held on public roads, the Albert Park track has quite a smooth surface. Before 2007 there existed only a few other places on the Formula 1 calendar with a body of water close to the track. Many of the new tracks, such as Valencia, Singapore and Abu Dhabi have imitated that feature.