2026 F1 Australian Grand Prix - Time Schedule
Here we go again.
The 2026 F1 season is nearly among us, with 24 races, six sprints, and who knows how many controversies in store as the race to be crowned world champion starts again.
The first stop on the calendar is the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne at the scenic Albert Park.
This time last year, Lando Norris won a chaotic wet/dry/wet/dry classic to get his title bid off to a strong start, as he claimed his first world title in the final round.
Elsewhere, Max Verstappen will be wanting to wrest his title back from the McLaren driver, whilst George Russell, Oscar Piastri, and Charles Leclerc appear strong after testing, with Lewis Hamilton hoping to put his annus horribilis behind him in a fresh year at the Scuderia.
How will new teams Audi and Cadillac, and the sole rookie on the grid in 2026, Arvid Lindblad, fare?
On Friday, March 6th, the first free practice session begins at 01:30 GMT, with free practice two getting underway at starting at 04:00 GMT.
On Saturday, March 7th, the final practice session is scheduled for 01:30 BST, followed by grand prix qualifying at 05:00 GMT.
The 2026 F1 Australian Grand Prix starts on Sunday, March 8th at 04:00 BST. 58 laps later, we’ll know who has won the opening race of 2026.
Want to see the start times in your local time zone? Check out the schedule for Australia below!
The schedule for the 2026 Australian Grand Prix is automatically adjusted to your time zone.
F1 schedule Australian GP
| Session | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Free practice 1 | Friday 6 March | - |
| Free practice 2 | Friday 6 March | - |
| Free practice 3 | Saturday 7 March | - |
| Qualifying | Saturday 7 March | - |
| Race | Sunday 8 March | - |
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding, as they look back on pre-season testing and start to look ahead to the Australian GP! Aston Martin's major issues are a lead discussion, as is Ferrari's lightning starts.
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
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