6 hours Ago By Sam Cooper
This year’s edition of the Australian Grand Prix will see a major change but perhaps one fans will not notice straight away – the colour of the track markings. As Melbourne prepares to host the first race of the 2025 season, returning to the opening spot for the first time since 2019, the track’s organisers have been told they need to make a significant change to the circuit ahead of lights out. To the delight of many fans, Australia returns as the season opener for 2025 but it is a track that requires more work than most with Albert Park being open to the public during the rest of the year.
Its primary use as a public park means that certain allowances were afforded to it by the FIA but one of them has now been ruled out as the sport governing body decided the yellow lines which were used for track markings must be white, in line with the other venues. “We’re a bit of a unique on there,” Tom Mottram, chief events officer for the Australian GP told Speedcafe . “I had to go back to the archives a bit to understand why [the track markings were] yellow, and it’s to do with the fact we’re in a public park.
“It was this kind of funny ‘no standing’ – there’s some yellow lines painted throughout the year which is no parking when it’s in the hands of Parks Victoria. “There was an agreement struck years and years ago where we could just keep it yellow so we weren’t repainting every time. The ultimate F1 2025 guide: Everything you need to know about the 2025 season F1 2025 cars: What name has each team given its chassis for the 2025 season? “But now, with the changes to track limits, there’s new specs around it needs to be white with a blue outline.
” While not the most major of changes, it is an alteration that will change the look of the race as will a change to the barriers at Turn 6. Following George Russell’s high-speed crash which saw him stop upside down in the middle of the track, the promoters have moved the wall back and realigned the TecPro barriers in an effort to stop cars bouncing back onto the circuit. Additional changes include a new pontoon on the lake and a pedestrian overpass, making it easier for fans to move around the venue.
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