Australian Grand Prix

F1 Australian Grand Prix Weekend Schedule: Full 2026 running order including UK and US times

Graham Shaw Monday 2 March 2026 10:30 Updated: 10:47

F1 is BACK in 2026 with new teams and new regulations as a gripping 24-race season gets under way with the Australian Grand Prix this weekend.

Albert Park in Melbourne will once again play host to another eagerly-awaited season opener and we have all the key weekend schedule information for you.

Four days of terrific action at the famous street circuit will culminate in the first race of the new F1 season, as we wait to see how those sweeping new regulations will change the face of the grid.

Lando Norris is back to defend his title, but will face stiff competition from the likes of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), four-time world champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Ferrari pair Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Not forgetting his McLaren team-mate and local Aussie hero, Oscar Piastri.

We are now just a few short days away from the action, so let's get into the key schedule info ahead of the weekend Down Under.

AUSTRALIAN GP: Every single race winner from Adelaide to Melbourne

F1 Session Times and Schedule

These are the confirmed Formula 1 sessions for the 2026 Australian Grand Prix.

Session	Date	Local time(AEDT)	UK time (GMT)	US Eastern (ET)
Free Practice 1	Friday 6 March	12:30	01:30 (Fri)	20:30 (Thu)
Free Practice 2	Friday 6 March	16:00	05:00 (Fri)	00:00 (Fri)
Free Practice 3	Saturday 7 March	12:30	01:30 (Sat)	20:30 (Fri)
Qualifying	Saturday 7 March	16:00	05:00 (Sat)	00:00 (Sat)
Grand Prix (Race)	Sunday 8 March	15:00	04:00 (Sun)	23:00 (Sat)

Thursday 5 March, 2026

Thursday features support categories and the very first F1 press conferences of the new season.

Exact timings are not available for all the events, but the order and schedule looks looks like this:

AEDT (local)	GMT (UK)	ET (US)	Category	Session
09:45–10:15	22:45–23:15 (Wed)	17:45–18:15 (Wed)	Porsche Carrera Cup	Practice
10:35–11:05	23:35–00:05 (Wed/Thu)	18:35–19:05 (Wed)	Supercars Championship	Practice 1
12:25–12:55	01:25–01:55 (Thu)	20:25–20:55 (Wed)	Supercars Championship	Practice 2
14:20–14:32	03:20–03:32 (Thu)	22:20–22:32 (Wed)	Supercars Championship	Qualifying – Race 1
14:42–14:50	03:42–03:50 (Thu)	22:42–22:50 (Wed)	Supercars Championship	Qualifying – Race 2
Later afternoon	Early hours Thu	Wed evening	Porsche Carrera Cup	Qualifying
Various afternoon slots	Early hours Thu	Wed evening	Formula 1	Drivers’ Press Conference

Friday March 6, 2026

The new-look F1 cars take to the track for the first time on Friday with the opening two practice sessions of the 2026 season. They are supported again by a host of other events on and off track:

AEDT (Local)	GMT (UK)	ET (US)	Category	Session
08:50–09:35	21:50–22:35 (Thu)	16:50–17:35 (Thu)	FIA Formula 3	Practice
10:00–10:45	23:00–23:45 (Thu)	18:00–18:45 (Thu)	FIA Formula 2	Practice
10:55–11:25	23:55–00:25 (Thu/Fri)	18:55–19:25 (Thu)	Porsche Carrera Cup	Race 1
12:30–13:30	01:30–02:30 (Fri)	20:30–21:30 (Thu)	Formula 1	Free Practice 1
14:00–14:30	03:00–03:30 (Fri)	22:00–22:30 (Thu)	FIA Formula 3	Qualifying
14:55–15:25	03:55–04:25 (Fri)	22:55–23:25 (Thu)	FIA Formula 2	Qualifying
16:00–17:00	05:00–06:00 (Fri)	00:00–01:00 (Fri)	Formula 1	Free Practice 2
17:25–18:10	06:25–07:10 (Fri)	01:25–02:10 (Fri)	FIA Formula 3	Sprint Race
18:30–19:05	07:30–08:05 (Fri)	02:30–03:05 (Fri)	FIA Formula 2	Sprint Race
Evening slot	Morning Fri	Overnight Thu/Fri	Supercars	Race 1

Saturday March 7, 2026

F1 Qualifying takes centre stage on Saturday in Melbourne - complete with a few new rule tweaks (full details here). The full schedule in order is as follows:

AEDT (Local)	GMT (UK)	ET (US)	Category	Session
09:00–09:12	22:00–22:12 (Fri)	17:00–17:12 (Fri)	Supercars	Qualifying – Race 3
09:22–09:30	22:22–22:30 (Fri)	17:22–17:30 (Fri)	Supercars	Qualifying – Race 4
10:10–10:40	23:10–23:40 (Fri)	18:10–18:40 (Fri)	Porsche Carrera Cup	Race 2
11:15–12:00	00:15–01:00 (Sat)	19:15–20:00 (Fri)	FIA Formula 3	Sprint/Feature Race
12:30–13:30	01:30–02:30 (Sat)	20:30–21:30 (Fri)	Formula 1	Free Practice 3
14:10–15:00	03:10–04:00 (Sat)	22:10–23:00 (Fri)	FIA Formula 2	Sprint Race
16:00–17:00	05:00–06:00 (Sat)	00:00–01:00 (Sat)	Formula 1	Qualifying
17:35–18:15	06:35–07:15 (Sat)	01:35–02:15 (Sat)	Supercars	Race 3
18:40–19:15	07:40–08:15 (Sat)	02:40–03:15 (Sat)	Porsche Carrera Cup	Race 3

Sunday March 8, 2026

The waiting is finally over and the 2026 F1 season gets under way with the 40th running of the Australian Grand Prix, over 58 laps at Albert Park. The big race is preceded by a host of support action and the traditional drivers' parade.

Here is your Sunday order of business and schedule:

AEDT (Local)	GMT (UK)	ET (US)	Category	Session
09:00–09:50 (approx.)	22:00–22:50 (Sat)	17:00–17:50 (Sat)	Porsche Carrera Cup	Race 4
10:05–10:55 (approx.)	23:05–23:55 (Sat)	18:05–18:55 (Sat)	FIA Formula 3	Feature Race
11:20–12:10 (approx.)	00:20–01:10 (Sun)	19:20–20:10 (Sat)	FIA Formula 2	Feature Race
13:00 (approx.)	02:00 (Sun)	21:00 (Sat)	Formula 1	Drivers’ Parade
15:00 (race start)	04:00 (Sun)	23:00 (Sat)	Formula 1	Australian Grand Prix

How to watch the race live

If you are watching the race locally in Australia, Fox Sports has the action (available via Foxtel and Foxtel Now).

In the UK Sky Sports F1 again has the call with David Croft, Martin Brundle and the rest of the gang back for another season.

There is big change in the US, with ESPN out and Apple TV after a blockbusting $750million deal saw broadcast rights change hands.

You can check out details of all F1 broadcasters for the 2026 season by clicking here.

Latest Odds: Favourites and long shots

Mercedes star George Russell is the 15/8 race favourite, with Verstappen a 4/1 shot. Ferrari are coming up fast, with their odds tumbling after impressive pre-season testing. Leclerc is 9/2 with Hamilton 11/2.

Antonelli is a 6/1 shot with McLaren pair Norris and Piastri at 8/1 and 14/1 respectively.

Ticket prices and availability

The race is officially a sellout - we have details on 2026 pricing and the latest resale cost and availability.

Weather forecast for Melbourne

The Melbourne area is officially under Flood Watch during Monday (March 2) and Tuesday (March 3) but things are looking better as we get towards the race weekend.

The current forecast for F1 action is as follows:

Friday March 6: High of 23C, low of 13C. Pleasant with broken cloud and sunny spells, breezy in the afternoon.

Saturday March 7: High of 21C, low of 14C. Perfect weather with sunny spells.

Sunday March 8: High of 24C, low of 14C. Absolutely perfect for the first race of the new season with long sunny spells.

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F1 Australian Grand Prix Albert Park Circuit