Ticket holders will be refunded for cancelled Australian GP

Fans who purchased tickets for the Australian Grand Prix are to be offered a full refund after Formula 1’s season-opener was cancelled amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

F1 called off the Australian Grand Prix on Friday morning less than two hours before track action was due to start following an outbreak of coronavirus in the Melbourne paddock after a McLaren team member contracted COVID-19.

Fans were seen queuing outside the Albert Park gates throughout the morning before being told they were banned from entering the circuit as confusion still remained over whether the race would go ahead or not.

On Friday, the Australian Grand Prix Corporation released a statement confirming that everyone who had bought tickets for the race from Friday through to Sunday would be refunded. The compensation does not apply to fans who purchased Thursday tickets, as the day went ahead as planned.

“If you purchased tickets online through the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix's official ticketing agent, Ticketmaster, you will receive a refund back to the original credit card you used," the statement read.

"If you purchased tickets from a Ticketmaster outlet using cash or EFTPOS, you will need to visit a Ticketmaster outlet to refund the booking.

"If you purchased tickets through a travel agent or on-seller, please contact them directly to process your refund.

“If you purchased hospitality tickets through Ticketmaster, you will receive a refund back to the original credit card you used.”

However, the AGPC warned that refunds may take some time due to the high volume of ticket holders that were set to attend the three-day event.

"The refund process may take some time and the AGPC team will ensure that refunds will be processed as quickly as possible,” the statement continued. “Your patience is appreciated in this matter.”