At speeds of over 300 km/h cars come rushing past; circuiting over public roads, vaulting through cricket fields and past bucolic lakes. The force in which these cars flash past leaves a trail of fiery sparks – a sudden burst of orangey-red fireworks – as metal fights against tarmac. These are all an indication that the world’s fastest supercars and their drivers have congregated in Melbourne for the start of the Formula 1 season. With them comes a conglomerate crowd of thousands of racing enthusiasts who take to the streets to see audacious drivers take on alarming corners at the break-neck speeds of the Melbourne Grand Prix.

Unlike other circuits, the Melbourne Grand Prix transpires among the arresting paths of Albert Park, located in the vibrant centre of Melbourne city. Here, viewers are fortunate enough to be tantalisingly close to the racing which leaves behind a distinct impression of being a part of the action as it unfolds. Such an enthralling and grandiose environment conjures similar feelings of exclusivity and excitement captured at Monaco and as such it is not surprising that Melbourne has become the sporting capital of the Southern hemisphere.

Transforming Albert Park from an everyday oasis to a circuit worthy of Formula 1 standards, means the Australian Grand Prix has created an adrenaline-charged track synonymous with glamour, cutting-edge technology and demanding obstacles. Known as one of the fastest tracks in the Formula 1 calendar, the circuit requires a miracle combination of robust cars and driver’s who’ve mastered their craft. Here, the 16-turn course enforces even the best to unearth their fortitude and face numerous double bends, a complex mixture of medium-high speed corners with several hazardous overtaking areas, all renowned for their white-knuckle and blood-curdling drama.

An epic battle ensues in these conditions and the tracks celebrated smoothness causes racing cars to thunder, crash, and launch themselves into the air, around corners and in front of their opponents, who are likewise, charging at full steam towards their rear. A split second determines the fates of these drivers and only exact precision and expertise can prevent the dreaded sound of metal crashing and shattering under the force of the impregnable and destructive tarmac.  Just as soon as one car goes right, the other goes left, and a dizzying mass of deafening engines bolt themselves around the 5.303km circuit with the same determination and conquest one might find from an enraged bull. The pièce de résistance, however, is the final push towards the finish line as a thrilling and skittish atmosphere electrifies the hundreds of thousands eagerly watching their heroes’ jostle past, with only inches to spare, to victoriously take their place on the podium.

To soak up this frenzy and to be entirely immersed in the sphere of Formula 1, guests should find themselves at the Prost Grandstand. Being within metres of the track, this grandstand has views overlooking the apex of Turn 16 and 15, Pit Lane entry and the Main Straight. Here, vibrations from the cars and their deafening roars consume the area and ricochet beyond the borders of Albert Park. It is here that the world gets to see just what these cars are made of and the incredible force undertaken by them as they accelerate coming into the 16^th, brake hard around the turn, before launching into the fastest run of the circuit to the finish line.