Australian GP not considering dumping ‘Supercars day’

The future of Supercars at Albert Park has been a hot talking point for some time, particularly with the series being forced out of what was originally built as its own pit lane.

However the mood did shift significantly over the recent AGP weekend, as logistical issues proved surmountable, and races without pitstops were thrilling.

Despite all that, there have been lingering rumours that Formula One Management has been putting pressure on the AGPC to adopt a traditional three-day format like every other race on the calendar.

That would allow F1 teams to bump in later and complete track walks on the Thursday.

The Thursday running is unique to the Australian GP and has long been used to ensure support categories, including Supercars, get plenty of track time before the strict time constraints of the F1 broadcast window come into play.

With F2 and F3 on the AGP undercard for the foreseeable future, a move to dump the Thursday running would put even more of a squeeze on track time for Supercars.

This year, the Thursday included two practice sessions, two qualifying sessions and a race for Supercars.

It also brought 65,000 people through the gates despite the open-wheel classes not running, making it a viable exercise for the AGPC.

The rumours appear to be just that, anyway, with AGPC CEO Travis Auld telling Speedcafe that he walked the Albert Park precinct with F1 boss Stefano Domenicalli on the Thursday this year, and they discussed the importance of having Supercars on the bill.

“I went for a walk with Stefano [on the Thursday] when the V8s were on and he talked about how great it was,” said Auld.

“No one has said [to drop Thursday] to me directly. And in fact, it’s the opposite, when I talk to the F1 team and team principals.

“The people at F1, no one is suggesting that we should push [Supercars] aside.

“The overwhelming feedback I’ve had is that [Supercars] is a feature of the event, so we would push back hard on not having them here. But in saying that, no one had suggested that anyway.”