Lewis Hamilton in front of the Australian flag — Photo: © IMAGO

Australian Grand Prix

F1 Practice Today: Australian Grand Prix 2026 start times, schedule, TV channel and live stream

The first session of the 2026 F1 season is just hours away in Melbourne

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Accredited motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Thursday 5 March 2026 18:56 Updated: 19:02

The 2026 F1 season gets under way today (Friday March 6) in Melbourne and here is all you need to know about how to watch every practice session for the Australian Grand Prix live.

After months of pre-season testing, the 2026 cars will receive their first proper trial at the iconic Albert Park street circuit as they take to the track with the eyes of the world on F1.

It was Ferrari who posted the quickest time in Bahrain testing, with Charles Leclerc coming out on top ahead of 2026 favourites Mercedes and Red Bull.

Article continues under video

Meanwhile, Aston Martin's 2026 season is already in jeopardy with team principal Adrian Newey confirming that the team may not be able to complete the full grand prix distance on Sunday.

Before the first race of the season however, we have three practice sessions, which will be all the more crucial to prepare teams and drivers for the new F1 era.

F1 HEADLINES: Newey to face the music as FIA announce Australian Grand Prix U-turn

F1 Practice Times - 2026 Australian Grand Prix

The first practice session at the Australian GP takes place today (Friday, March 6) at 12:30 local time (AEDT) (01:30 GMT)

FP2 then gets under way at 16:00 AEDT (05:00 GMT) before Saturday sees the third and final practice session, at 12:30 AEDT (01:30 GMT).

Find the practice session start times converted to your local time zone below:

Australian Grand Prix 2026 Session Times

Free Practice 1 (FP1) - Friday, March 6, 2026

Location	Time
Local time (AEDT)	12:30 Friday
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)	01:30 Friday
Central European Time (CET)	02:30 Friday
United States (EST)	20:30 Thursday
United States (CST)	19:30 Thursday
United States (PST)	17:30 Thursday
Brazil (BRT)	22:30 Thursday
Australia (AWST)	09:30 Friday
Australia (ACT)	12:00 Friday
Mexico (CST)	19:30 Thursday
Japan (JST)	10:30 Friday
South Africa (SAST)	03:30 Friday
Egypt (EET)	03:30 Friday
China (CST)	09:30 Friday
India (IST)	07:00 Friday
Singapore (SGT)	9:30 Friday
Turkey (TRT)	04:30 Friday
United Arab Emirates (GST)	05:30 Friday
Saudi Arabia (AST)	04:30 Friday

Australian Grand Prix 2026 Session Times

Free Practice 2 (FP2) - Friday, March 6, 2026

Location	Time
Local time (AEDT)	16:00 Friday
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)	05:00 Friday
Central European Time (CET)	06:00 Friday
United States (EST)	00:00 Friday
United States (CST)	23:00 Thursday
United States (PST)	21:00 Thursday
Brazil (BRT)	02:00 Friday
Australia (AWST)	13:00 Friday
Australia (ACT)	15:30 Friday
Mexico (CST)	23:00 Thursday
Japan (JST)	14:00 Friday
South Africa (SAST)	07:00 Friday
Egypt (EET)	07:00 Friday
China (CST)	13:00 Friday
India (IST)	10:30 Friday
Singapore (SGT)	13:00 Friday
Turkey (TRT)	08:00 Friday
United Arab Emirates (GST)	09:00 Friday
Saudi Arabia (AST)	08:00 Friday

Australian Grand Prix 2026 Session Times

Free Practice 3 (FP3) - Saturday, March 7, 2026

Location	Time
Local time (AEDT)	12:30 Saturday
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)	01:30 Saturday
Central European Time (CET)	02:30 Saturday
United States (EST)	20:30 Friday
United States (CST)	19:30 Friday
United States (PST)	17:30 Friday
Brazil (BRT)	22:30 Friday
Australia (AWST)	09:30 Saturday
Australia (ACT)	12:00 Saturday
Mexico (CST)	19:30 Friday
Japan (JST)	10:30 Saturday
South Africa (SAST)	03:30 Saturday
Egypt (EET)	03:30 Saturday
China (CST)	09:30 Saturday
India (IST)	07:00 Saturday
Singapore (SGT)	09:30 Saturday
Turkey (TRT)	04:30 Saturday
United Arab Emirates (GST)	05:30 Saturday
Saudi Arabia (AST)	04:30 Saturday

How to watch the 2026 Australian Grand Prix practice live on TV today

Broadcast details vary depending on your location. Check below to see how to tune in for some major countries:

Where to watch: F1 2026 broadcasters by region

Region/Country	Broadcaster(s)
United Kingdom	Sky Sports
United States	Apple TV
Italy	Sky Italia
Netherlands	Viaplay, Viaplay Xtra
Japan	Fuji TV, DAZN
Australia	Fox Sports, Foxtel, Kayo, Network Ten
Spain	DAZN
Canada	RDS, TSN
Germany	Sky Deutschland, RTL
France	Canal+
Belgium	RTBF, Telenet
Luxembourg	RTL Lux, Sky DE
Mexico	Fox Sports Mexico
Singapore	beIN SPORTS
Hungary	M4 Sport
Brazil	Bandeirantes
Austria	Servus TV, ORF
Middle East & Turkey	beIN SPORTS
Africa	SuperSport
Latin America	ESPN

F1TV Pro also carries coverage of the sport, depending on which territory you are in.

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Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

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Australian Grand Prix