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Supercars fans had been able to mingle right behind the garages in Albert Park’s second pit lane until the category was this year bumped to the infield to make way for FIA Formula 2 Championship teams, which will still be pitting in the Formula 1 lane this weekend anyway.
While teams’ corporate guests are allowed to be shown through at specified times, general admission fans are barred from the paddock, making for a rather different atmosphere in that area of the precinct.
Teams also have to wheel limited equipment to pit lane and back for Repco Supercars Championship sessions, and some have even been running between those sites given most of their data monitors are left in their marquees.
For drivers, the situation is less inconvenient, and those queried by Speedcafe are happy to be at the event despite dropping behind F2 and Formula 3 in the pecking order, but Brown feels for the fans.
“Procedurally, it’s not too bad for us but we’re lucky enough to come racing because of the fans – they put their support behind us – and it’d be great to have them involved in what we’re doing,” said the Red Bull Ampol Racing driver after finishing second in the first race of the weekend.
“So, to not have the fans here this weekend’s really disappointing, I think, and for us we enjoy it, we enjoy having them there and involved in it, and I think it would have been good, so hopefully next year they can get more involved.”
Penrite Racing’s Matt Payne remarked, “I’ve only done it once but I really enjoy coming back to this grand prix track and to race with the F1, I think, is pretty special.
“I really am glad Supercars do all they can to get us on the support card for these guys because it really is an ultra awesome weekend – there’s so many people that come and watch – but, like Will said, our sport’s really, really fan-based.
‘That’s probably what’s cool about Supercars, is that the fans get to come up so close to the cars; you can see the drivers literally right there.
“So, yeah, it probably does take away from it a little bit, but I always enjoy this event.”
Brown’s Triple Eight Race Engineering team-mate, Broc Feeney, believes that the crowd which did turn out on the Thursday of the 2024 AGP is not only a credit to those fans but also proves the merit of having the local touring car category at the event.
Tickets for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – when the Formula 1 cars are actually on-track – have all sold out but, according to the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, an estimated 65,030 people still showed up yesterday.
That attendance figure is the third-highest Thursday on record, and 4198 higher than the corresponding 2023 figure, and achieved when the five Repco Supercars Championship sessions (two practice sessions, a pair of qualifying sessions, Race 3 of the season, plus rides) were the clear headline of the day.
“I mean, obviously talk about how much we can pull in; just have a look at how many fans are here today, to be honest,” said Feeney, who won Race 3 of the season in the late Melbourne afternoon.
“I think it’s pretty unreal how many people turn up on a Thursday – it’s a normal week; it’s not a public holiday or anything like that – so, massive kudos to everyone that has turned up today.
“It’s unreal to see so many people here and that we can draw a crowd at an event like this.
“[There were] lots of F1 shirts but still lots of Supercars people supporting us, so it’s unreal.
“I really love racing here, it’s a lot of fun. [Thursday’s] certainly a big day, but just to race here on the weekend’s going to be a lot of fun.
“Look, things aren’t perfect where we are – we’d obviously like to be in pit lane – but that’s not the case.
“But, so be it, we’ll go out and race and have some fun in front of 450,000 people across the weekend; I think that’s pretty cool.”
Supercars’ appearance at the 2024 AGP is understood to be a one-year contract although, in the more likely than not case that the category signs a new deal for 2025, Walkinshaw Andretti United co-owner Ryan Walkinshaw is confident of improvements to pit/paddock arrangements.
He too told reporters from Albert Park that, “Having race cars behind closed doors, I don’t think adds a huge amount to the event. I think it detracts from it.”
The MSS Security Melbourne SuperSprint action is might lighter today given F1, F2, and F3 all hit the track for practice and, in the case of the junior categories, qualifying.
F3 kicks off the action at 08:50 local time/AEDT while the sole Supercars session of the day, being Race 4 of the season, is due to start at 14:55 and be run over 19 laps.
