EXCLUSIVE: Inside the F1 exhibition opening in Melbourne to showcase the sport until the Australian GP
After successfully showcasing the world of Formula 1 in cities across Europe, Melbourne sits centre stage for the next few months as the F1 Exhibition opens to the public and runs through to April, encompassing the 2026 Australian Grand Prix weekend.
Inside the 22,000-square-foot space inside the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, the show splits hundreds of exhibits into themed rooms to showcase the drivers, the cars, the evolution, the history and the future of the sport for people of all ages.
You’ll see five iconic F1 cars, from Jenson Button’s BAR Honda, a Mark Webber Red Bull, and two Championship-winning cars for Australian drivers, with Alan Jones’ Williams from 1980 and Sir Jack Brabham’s 1966 REPCO Brabham all on display.
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Historical race suits are also on display for F1 fans to see. Supplied
Long-time fans of the sport will be overwhelmed by the original race suits of several iconic drivers, like Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, and Ayrton Senna.
These, alongside countless helmets, make up a fantastic driver display, along with two interactive elements allowing you to design your own helmet and stand in front of a virtual mirror wearing the race suit of your favourite driver.
Alongside the complete race cars on display, there are various cars in broken-down form to highlight the components we don’t normally see, including the advances in construction and safety, with a whole display on design and how the sport has evolved so much over the course of history.
An area called “Survival” shines a light on the remarkable efforts from officials to extract Romain Grosjean from his Haas in 2020 during the fiery crash at the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
A large number of Oscar Piastri’s helmets are on display in Melbourne. Supplied
You’ll get up close and personal with the actual steering wheel from that car, one of the wheels, and the very gloves and shoes Grosjean was wearing during the crash.
His high-performance trainer at the time, Aussie Kim Keedle, today confirmed that Grosjean had asked him in recent weeks where the gloves were, only to be told they are now on display in Melbourne for the F1 Exhibition.
Audio guides will help you understand the various elements, and there are hundreds of interviews to enjoy as well.
The F1 Exhibition is set to land in Melbourne this weekend. Supplied
You’ll want to allocate at least an hour and a half to the show; it won’t disappoint.
The F1 Exhibition, Melbourne – opens this weekend on Saturday, November 29.
