MEDICUS May 2022

That hope was realised, when mid-April (a little further into the season) saw the Grand Prix circus in Melbourne again. Much had changed in the three years since the last race. The racing cars were a completely new design, many of the drivers had changed teams, left or been hired anew, regulations adjusted and so on. But the biggest change I noticed was the crowd. The weekend was sold out. Huge, enthusiastic crowds in droves. Noticeably, it had changed from a middle-aged men’s sport – there were huge numbers of young people and almost half the crowd was female. What a difference! There were hundreds of groups of girls who were spending the day at a car race. What had changed? Sure, plenty of blokes get the excitement of the most skilled drivers in the world piloting peak machinery at unbelievable speeds in a tactical skill test with so many variables. But why were so many girls and women there now? In speaking about this phenomenon to some people involved in the sport at a high level, a common idea emerged. Formula 1 was bought by an American company a few years ago, and they had big ideas for how to bring the sport more into mainstream media and contemporary interest. One of their ideas was to develop a high-quality television series, looking at each season of Formula 1 – taking an in-depth look at the personalities, locations, the glamour, the danger and the many other elements which this naturally exciting sport embodies, not just the racing. A deal was done with Netflix and Drive to Survive was put together in a very professional manner, now in its fourth season. The show rates its socks off and has done as hoped – it’s drawn in a new, younger and more diverse audience to Formula 1. The drivers are the heroes, of course – many of them dashing young lads more akin to Hollywood. Some are great characters, and probably none more than our homegrown driver Daniel Ricciardo. The ever- smiling, cheeky and talented ‘Danny Ric’ has done his bit to fly the F1 flag for Australia. Consider the square metre area of Albert Park is greater than the whole of the Principality of Monaco, and almost the whole park is taken over with Grand Prix activities. Aside from the many support race categories and groups of classic cars doing demonstration and parade laps, there are several areas for concerts and entertainment, seas of food and beverage outlets, interview areas, trade exhibits, merchandise outlets, lots of hospitality areas, grandstands and grass viewing areas. Everything signposted and marshalled – and it all worked. For all the non-racing elements, the infrastructure is complex, vast and thoroughly impressive. Crowds were patient and the on-track entertainment didn’t disappoint. Who won the race (Leclerc, Ferrari) was secondary to the vast festival working so well. A record 420,000 people attended over the race weekend, and there’s no reason the crowd at this spectacle should be any less next year. We’re very fortunate to have such a world-class event in Australia. ■ Sweet 16: R ace winner Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari exits the pit lane. Photo: Paul Blank Time to roll: Preparations underway at the McLaren pits. Photo: Paul Blank M AY 2 0 2 2 M E D I C U S 49 D R I V E