'An absolute joke': How Aussie Grand Prix ticket prices compare to the rest of the world

10/10/2024 10:34 PM

Tickets for the 2025 Australian Grand Prix went on sale on 9 October, 2024, but things quickly turned sour as fans expressed disappointment over elevated pricing and delays caused by a global Ticketmaster outage.

Ticket prices for the 2025 Formula One event in Melbourne were already roughly $20 higher than they were at this year’s event, but they were also subject to Ticketmaster’s “dynamic” pricing model, meaning prices fluctuated in line with demand.

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A 24-hour delay to the intended sale time as well as surging demand meant some fans were forced to pay hundreds of dollars more than expected for grandstand tickets.

“We receive the invite for booking tickets and are met with the pricing 'from $625'. This seems a little higher than years gone by, but whatever – it's only a little bit more so no big deal,” one fan shared on Reddit.

“Clicking the link takes you to Ticketmaster where they have applied 'dynamic pricing'. You now pay a market price based on demand, so the tickets I could otherwise purchase for $625 are close to $1000.

“Formula One reportedly generates +$2b USD each year, and are apparently committed to growing the sport? This is an absolute joke.”

Another user added: “I got lucky and got tickets for Brabham at face value ($750). Row behind me? Over $1100 cos of ‘demand’! One row difference! Not even the premium seats. Crazy.”

How much are tickets for the 2025 Australian Grand Prix?

Tickets are now mostly sold out across the four days, but general admission (GA) starts from $45 for an adult on the first day of the event, ranging up to $169 for a race-day ticket or $309 for a four-day GA pass.

For comparison, at the 2018 Australian Grand Prix a single adult race-day GA ticket started at $99, while four-day GA tickets were priced from $185, according to a Nine News report at the time.

As previously mentioned, dynamic pricing for the 2025 event meant some tickets surged in price by hundreds of dollars, particularly for those hoping to get Grandstand passes.

While fans were quoted between $420–$645 for a multi-day weekend Grandstand pass, some were forced to pay in excess of $1000.

For example, the prices for a four-day pass to the Brabham Grandstand at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix were said to start at $750 but rose to $1162.50 amid rising demand.

Meanwhile, general admission pricing for Thursday and Friday tickets was fixed, but weekend tickets were variable, meaning some ticketholders paid up to $211 for a single general admission ticket to the Sunday race day.

How do Australian Grand Prix ticket prices compare to the rest of the world?

Even at its priciest – $211 for general admission, or $1015 for Grandstand seating – a single race-day ticket to the 2025 Australian Grand Prix is still cheaper than it is at most other events on the F1 calendar.

To give fans a sense of where Australia sits on the GP ticket cost spectrum, Drive compared pricing for a single adult general admission ticket on race day to available pricing for key upcoming events on the F1 calendar.

As you can see, Australia’s pricing is comparable to general admission pricing at the Monaco Grand Prix but pales in comparison to the Las Vegas Grand Prix, where fans can pay up to $AUD667 for a GA ticket.

Obviously, pricing varies based on demand and GA ticket inclusions are different depending on the event.

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