From $12,000 hospitality suites to volunteers standing meters from cars speeding past at 300km/h, the Australian Grand Prix offers some of the most extraordinary viewing positions in sport.
Hundreds of thousands of fans flock to Albert Park each year for the most exhilarating sport – Formula 1.
Some people sip champagne in luxury suites, others line fences along the parklands, and a select few stand closer to the action than almost anyone else.
Premium hospitality suites are the most expensive option.
One of the most sought-after areas is the American Express Lounge, where a three-day pass to the multi-level suite costs $6,895 and places guests in the centre of the race weekend.
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Inside, the experience is built around luxury and access.
Guests can enjoy a private Belvedere vodka tasting, sample Penfolds Grange wines, and dine on food curated by celebrity restaurateur Chris Lucas, served from his Grill Americano restaurant pop-up.
The lounge also features a dedicated viewing deck that looks directly into the Paddock Club, offering a direct view to the drivers.
Between race sessions, the space turns into a social hub where guests rub shoulders with celebrities, sporting personalities, and executives.
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For fans wanting more, there is also the Paddock Club, Formula 1’s premium hospitality experience positioned directly above pit lane.
Tickets start at approximately $9,500 for the weekend and come with dining, pit lane access, and a behind-the-scenes look at the teams.
Further around Albert Park, fans gather in the grandstands and general admission areas.
The Oscar Piastri Grandstand costs about $1045 for a four-day pass and offers the best views.
Here, the focus is less on champagne and celebrity sightings and more on the raw spectacle of the race.
For fans chasing the thrill of the race, “The Hill” at Turn 1 offers one of the most electric viewing spots. A Sunday ticket costs about $535.
For a completely different perspective, some fans are taking their race seats into the air.
Helicopter joy flights ($125) above Albert Park offer a rare-bird’s eye view of the track.
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While many fans chase luxury and hospitality, some of the most extraordinary seats belong to the people working at the race.
Formula 1photographers operate in some of the most restricted parts of the circuit.
They have the chance to capture every moment in Paddock Club, Pit Lane and trackside, metres from the action.
Australian motorsport photographer Daniel Kalisz is a regular at the Grand Prix, as well as Supercars events and other sports.
“It’s quite a privilege,” he said.
“You get up close to the cars on track and in the pit lane and the paddock, or rub shoulders with the drivers.
“You also get paid to be there, so that’s the cool part.”
Kalisz worked overseas following the F1 circus before returning to Australia with vivid memories.
“In Casino Square at Monaco, the cars brush up against the Armco which you’re leaning up on, pretty much every lap,” he said.
”Back in the day, when I worked with Getty Images, you could stand on the inside of Old Station or Loews Hairpin at Monaco, amongst the flowers, and shoot literally hands-length away from the cars, which is inaccessible now.
“It was exhilarating.”
On the media front, former Sunday Herald Sun correspondent Mark Fogarty covered the sport for 50 years.
For “Foges”, his satisfaction came from the thrill of breaking a story rather than attending world-class events.
“The racing was incidental,” he said.
“It was the news, it was the personalities … reporting the death of Senna and being one of the last journalists to have spoken with him that weekend was significant.
: I was there at the peak of the Senna vs. Prost rivalry in 1989 and 1990 – it doesn’t get any better.”
Aside from Oscar Piastri, Karl Reindler might have the best job for an Aussie in F1.
The former V8 Supercars racer now serves as the medical driver for around half the races on the calendar.
“Sitting at the back of the grid, feeling like you’re starting the F1 race is about as good as it gets,” he said.
“But it’s funny, I don’t think you really appreciate the moment until you reflect later because you’re preoccupied with all of the sensory overload that is the start of a Formula 1 race.
“It’s a similar sort of feeling to when I was competing professionally in motorsport.
“You get the butterflies every single time, which I think is healthy.”
Reindler has had to rush a doctor to the scene of a serious smash on several occasions, occasionally finding himself in a four-door performance car sharing the track with F1 racers.
“There has been a few times where you check your rear vision mirror and you might have Oscar in a McLaren sitting on your rear bumper and it’s a real ‘pinch yourself’ moment,” he said.
“I feel very lucky to do what I do, but equally I take it very seriously and take a lot of pride in this unique role that I, that I have.”
Then there are the marshals.
Before sunrise on race day, hundreds of volunteers take up positions around the track.
They stand trackside, often only metres away from the barrier, watching cars rocket past at 300km/h.
There’s no champagne, no luxury suite and no celebrity guest list.
But it is something else, the rawest, most unique experience in motorsport.
So what’s the best seat at the Australian Grand Prix? Well it depends on what kind of Formula 1 experience you’re chasing.
If might involve sipping Penfolds Grange in a suite, or it might be standing on a grassy hill feeling the ground shake as the cars scream past.
Or it might be standing trackside in a marshal’s uniform just metres from the fastest machines in motorsport.
