Image: Aminalone
This is my guide for spectating from the Vettel grandstand at the Melbourne Grand Prix.
It includes a seating chart, where to get tickets, my tips on which seats to pick in the stand and examples of the view.
Where is the grandstand?
This grandstand (previously called Pinnacles) is on the outside (left-hand side) of the Albert Park track just before Turn 11.
Turn 11 is a 90 degree right, and the grandstand is adjacent to the braking zone, turn-in point and apex of the corner.
It’s directly opposite the Webber stand.
Grandstand features
- Cover: Uncovered
- Seats: Plastic chairs, fixed back, folding base
- TV screens: One big screen oppposite (visible by all), another off to the left only partly visible.
Buying tickets - Australian GP
Tickets for this stand can often sell out fast on the official site.. If that’s the case, you can buy tickets through Stubhub instead.
I’ve used StubHub lots of times for F1 over the last few seasons and have always had a great experience. They also have a very robust FanProtect guarantee which keeps your money & tickets safe.
- Only standard uncovered tickets are available in this stand
- Tickets come in single day / 2-day (Sat, Sun) / 3 day (Fri, Sat, Sun) / 4 day (Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun) options
- Tickets include access to all Park Pass General Admission areas
- Tickets include access to all fan zones and concerts on the day(s) of your ticket
Vettel grandstand seating plan
Below is the seating plan for the Vettel Grandstand at the Australian Grand Prix.
- Sections: A, B, C
- Rows: A (front) to M (back). No row I.
- Seat numbers: Section A: 1 – 36, Sections B & C: 1 – 26
What's the view like?
The pink sections of track in the image below show the views you’ll have from this grandstand.
As the image shows you can see the Formula 1 cars approach from the bridge before Turn 11.
If you’re sat in section C you can also see down to the braking and turn-in point for Turn 12 where the Lauda grandstand is located. But if you’re in sections A or B you won’t be able to see that far along the track after Turn 11.
The video below shows the view from this grandstand from two different positions at the timestamps listed:
- 3:50 – Section C, Row F, Seat 26
- 7:40 – Section C, Row A, Seat 26
As it’s a fairly small grandstand with only 12 rows, you’re always looking through the safety fence. The grandstand doesn’t go high enough to look over it.
Best seats in the Vettel grandstand
The best seats in the Vettel Grandstand are those in section C.
Section C gives you the best view of the cars after they’ve left Turn 11 and head down towards Turn 12. Normally I’d suggest sitting as high as possible in the stand to get the widest vantage point, but the higher seats will have their view of the approached to Turn 11 blocked by some trees to the right of the stand.
So sitting in the middle / lower rows of the stand is a good idea. The only consideration is that if you sit in the front row of section C it can be a little harder to see the screen on the opposite side of the track, and you might have to rely on the one off to the left instead.
The higher the seat number you pick in section C the further along the track towards Turn 12 you can see.
Should you sit here?
Turn 11 is at the end of one of the DRS zones. As it’s a pretty slow corner, it does offer some decent overtaking opportunities. So it’s likely you’ll see a bit of close action.
If you want to see some more action you might want to pick one of the other grandstands listed below.
Other grandstands at the Australian Grand Prix
If you want to see as much overtaking and potential carnage as possible, you need one of the grandstands at the first corner. These are as follows (click the links to read my spectating guides for each):
If you want to watch the Formula 1 cars corner at super high speed, check out the following grandstands:
If you want to see the start / finish line and the pit lane then you need the grandstand on the main straight:
Closest entrances
Entrance gates 9 and 10 at Albert Park are the closest to this grandstand and the best ones to enter through when planning your travel to the Australian GP circuit.
