Martin Pakula reappointed as Australian Grand Prix Corporation chair

Cabinet endorses extension of Pakula's term

The Victorian cabinet has endorsed extending former minister Martin Pakula's term as chairman of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, according to the Australian Financial Review, which reported the endorsement on 2 October 2026. The publication framed the move as part of a scramble by Labor to finalise government board appointments ahead of the state election the party is on track to lose. ¹

Pakula's continued presence in the role is corroborated by the official record of the Governor of Victoria, whose published schedule lists meetings with the Honourable Martin Pakula as Chairman of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation during the Formula 1 Qatar Airways Australian Grand Prix 2026 at Albert Park in March, and again with the corporation's board members in the Chairman's Suite after the race. ²

The term 'reappointment' in this context refers to an extension of Pakula's existing chairmanship rather than a change of leadership; the AFR's reporting and the Governor's record are consistent in identifying him as the incumbent chairman throughout 2026. ¹²

How Pakula came to the role

Pakula became the first paid chairman of the public board responsible for promoting the Formula 1 grand prix after he took over in 2023 from billionaire businessman Paul Little, the Australian Financial Review reports. The change of leadership was noted at the time by the Governor of Victoria, whose 2024 Grand Prix reception remarks welcomed Pakula as the new chairman, having replaced Paul Little at the end of 2023. ¹³

Pakula's appointment in 2023 formed part of a wider leadership change at the corporation. The Governor's 2024 reception remarks also noted that Travis Auld had become the Australian Grand Prix Corporation's first new chief executive since 2011, bringing experience from roles in the AFL, the Gold Coast Suns and Essendon Football Club. ³

Pakula remains a prominent figure across Melbourne's sporting and business establishment. The Age's CBD column identified him at the July 2026 Melbourne Ball as the chair of both Crown Melbourne and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, with corporation chief executive Travis Auld also among the guests. ⁵

Phillip Island MotoGP negotiations in the balance

One of the most significant matters on Pakula's desk as chairman is the future of the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix. The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald reported in January 2026 that Victoria was poised to lose the MotoGP event, with the Australian Grand Prix Corporation locked in tense negotiations with rights holder Dorna Sports to extend the contract to host the race at Phillip Island. ⁷

A Victorian government source familiar with the negotiations told The Age that Spain-based Dorna Sports had demanded the event be moved to Albert Park if the contract were to be renewed, while the state had upped its financial offer to retain the event at Phillip Island and baulked at the substantial upgrades required for a Melbourne race. The same source said the South Australian government had held discussions with Dorna representatives before Christmas about possibly staging the event at a street circuit in Adelaide. ⁷

A spokeswoman for the Australian Grand Prix Corporation did not respond to The Age's questions but said in a statement: "Phillip Island is an iconic destination and one of the most renowned circuits on the MotoGP calendar, and we greatly look forward to returning in October 2026." The final Australian Grand Prix under Phillip Island's current 10-year contract is scheduled for 23 to 25 October 2026. ⁷

Circuit owner Andrew Fox told The Age he was confident that Pakula and chief executive Travis Auld would negotiate the best outcome for Victoria, while Bass Coast Shire Mayor Rochelle Halstead said the event generated close to $100 million for the local economy and had prompted thousands to sign a petition urging the Premier to keep it. ⁷

The chairman's 2026 grand prix

Pakula's most recent term has included the 2026 Formula 1 Qatar Airways Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park from 6 to 8 March. The Governor of Victoria's published record shows the Governor attended the race on 8 March, met with Pakula as chairman, was escorted to the Victorian Government Suite and later met with the corporation's board members in the Chairman's Suite. ²⁴

The Australian Financial Review's Rear Window column reported that Oscar Piastri crashed during the out lap of Sunday's race, with the Piastri family watching from a suite commandeered by chairman Martin Pakula. The Governor's record confirms the race proceeded at Albert Park on 8 March 2026. ⁸²

Pakula also appeared in his corporate capacity at the Kayo Sports 2026 motorsport season launch on 3 March at the F1 Exhibition in Melbourne, where Foxtel Group announced an extension of its Formula 1 rights partnership. The Foxtel Group's announcement listed the Hon. Martin Pakula, Australian Grand Prix chairman, among the executives attending alongside Supercars CEO James Warburton. ⁴

Pakula and Auld also featured at SportNXT's executive luncheon in Melbourne on 3 March 2026, where the SportNXT Summit's return to Melbourne from 7 to 9 September 2026 was confirmed with the support of the Victorian Government. The SportNXT announcement listed Pakula as chair and Auld as chief executive of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation among the Victorian major event stakeholders present. ⁶

Political backdrop to the extension

The Australian Financial Review linked the cabinet's endorsement of Pakula's extended term to broader timing pressures within the Victorian government, reporting that Labor is working to finalise government board appointments ahead of the state election the party is on track to lose. The Age's CBD column separately reported in July 2026 on leadership rumblings within the government and Premier Jacinta Allan's schedule, underscoring the charged political environment surrounding board decisions. ¹⁵

No announcement covered in the sources specifies the length of the extended term or its commencement and expiry dates, and neither the Victorian government nor the Australian Grand Prix Corporation has publicly stated these details in the material available. ¹⁷