Would you pay big bucks for THIS view of the Australian Grand Prix? Fans slam 'farce' and claim they were denied chairs at race
Formula One fans have hit back at Australian Grand Prix organisers after they were left feeling 'ripped off' over their seats.
George Russell outlasted Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to claim victory in the first race of the Formula One season on Sunday afternoon in Melbourne.
One motorsport enthusiast, @paulnz70, took to Instagram to express his disappointment over his seats.
It appears the social media user had bought tickets to the exclusive Clubhouse area at Albert Park.
On the Australian Grand Prix's website, the Clubhouse promises guests the 'best vantage point for high-octane action'.
The clubhouse is situated next to turn eight.
Formula One fans have hit back at Australian Grand Prix organisers after they were left feeling 'ripped off' over their seats
For a one-day pass for Sunday's race, a ticket to the enclosure would set you back $850, while a three-day weekend pass costs $1,195.
Instagram user @Paulnz70 wrote on Sunday: 'Bit of a ripoff at @ausgp sold tickets in the Clubroom. @ausgp oversold the place and we can't get in the stand. Security wouldn't originally let us have chairs on the outside grass. Quite a farce…'
He posted two photos of a group of people sitting on plastic chairs on a grassy bank that was just level with the metal railings at the side of the track.
Other motorsport fans took to the comments to express their shock.
'Weren't they like 1200 a ticket?' one fan wrote.
That's a big shame,' one wrote. Another added: 'That's very ordinary.'
'Whole GP has become a farce! Cars are a joke now!'
Daily Mail Sport has contacted the Australian Grand Prix for comment.
One motorsport fan took to social media on Sunday to express his disappointment at the view at the Grand Prix
George Russell (pictured) would go on to claim victory in the opening Formula One race of the season
Russell (centre) battled with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc (front) throughout Sunday's race
Russell has, meanwhile, warned Mercedes' Formula One championship tilt won't be as easy as the Australian Grand Prix suggested, admitting they left themselves open to being beaten at the season opener.
After the biggest overhaul of regulations in the sport's history, Russell underlined his early title favouritism when he led home team-mate Kimi Antonelli at Albert Park on Sunday.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc launched a huge early challenge to Russell, the pair exchanging the lead several times in the opening stages, before settling for third.
Russell's sixth career race win marks the first time he has led the world championship standings, but the 28-year-old Brit isn't getting ahead of himself.
'We're all here now to fight for a world championship and that's what we're working so hard towards,' Russell said.
'If we want to do that, we still need to raise our game because there were a lot of areas today that we underachieved, mainly around the race start, panning the battery in the right place, and we were lucky not to come off worse.'
Mercedes were clearly quickest in qualifying but didn't have everything their own way on Sunday, with Russell insisting Ferrari's challenge offered a window into the battle that lies ahead.
'The pace we saw today and the fight we had with Ferrari was more like we were expecting and what we had predicted pre-Melbourne and after testing,' Russell said.
'Qualifying was a real shock, but Ferrari are definitely there in the mix.'
