Australian Grand Prix Loses $2.84 Million Appeal Over Concert Payout

The Australian Grand Prix Corporation has lost its final bid to avoid paying $2.84 million in damages over the COVID-era cancellation of a Robbie Williams concert linked to the abandoned 2020 Formula 1 race in Melbourne.

A three-judge Court of Appeal panel on Thursday backed a 2024 Victorian Supreme Court ruling, unanimously refusing the corporation’s attempt to overturn the compensation order in favour of live music promoter World Touring Melbourne.

A Grand Prix Weekend That Never Happened

The 2020 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park was scrapped in chaotic scenes on March 13, just hours before gates were due to open, as the looming threat of COVID-19 closed in on global sport.

Williams, whose hits include Let Me Entertain You and Angels, had been booked to perform at Lakeside Stadium the following day as part of the race weekend’s entertainment program. His show was cancelled as the Grand Prix unravelled.

World Touring Melbourne later took the Australian Grand Prix Corporation to court, arguing the concert was axed not simply because of public health concerns, but because organisers had misrepresented government health advice and breached their contract.

Court Finds Promoter Was Misled

In 2024, Justice Clyde Croft found that Grand Prix organisers had deceived the promoter about the stance of Victoria’s then chief health officer, Brett Sutton.

At 4:25pm on March 13, the corporation emailed World Touring Melbourne, stating that Dr Sutton had advised the Grand Prix needed to be cancelled or staged without spectators. That claim became central to the decision to pull the plug on the Williams concert.

Evidence told a different story.

Earlier that day, Dr Sutton had texted Grand Prix officials indicating that while he supported cancelling the Williams show, the final call rested with the organisers. He had not directed that the event must not proceed in the form planned.

Justice Croft ruled that the corporation’s email mischaracterised the chief health officer’s position and misled the promoter. The court ordered the Australian Grand Prix Corporation to pay $2.84 million in damages to World Touring Melbourne for loss of earnings.

Appeal Shut Down

The corporation pushed back, taking the matter to the Court of Appeal in an effort to overturn both the finding and the payout. That effort is now over.

The three justices endorsed Justice Croft’s reasoning and refused leave to appeal, leaving the original judgment – and the multi-million-dollar compensation bill – intact.

The decision lands against the backdrop of a weekend in March 2020 that never fully shut down. While the Grand Prix and Williams’ concert were cancelled, other major events in Melbourne, including National Rugby League fixtures and a concert at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, went ahead.

Four years on, the race is back, the crowds have returned, and Formula 1 has moved on. The legal and financial consequences of that frantic 48 hours in Melbourne, though, are still being counted.