Source : ABC NEWS
New cars, new drivers and one entirely new team descend on Melbourne as Formula 1 returns for the 2026 season.
The Australian Grand Prix will be held this weekend at Albert Park, ushering in a new era for the series.
With preseason now finished, here are some of the basics to know ahead of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.
When is the F1 Australian Grand Prix?
The Australian Grand Prix will be held on Sunday, March 8, at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne.
It will be the first race of the 2026 F1 championship.
Here is when the grand prix will begin in each Australian state and territory.
- 3pm AEDT: Victoria, NSW, ACT, Tasmania
- 2:30pm ACDT: South Australia
- 2pm: AEST: Queensland
- 1.30pm ACST: Northern Territory
- 12pm: AWST: Western Australia
What is the Australian Grand Prix weekend schedule?
The Australian Grand Prix weekend will be held from Friday, March 6 to Sunday, March 8.
Practice sessions will be held on the Friday and Saturday, with qualifying held on Saturday afternoon.
The grand prix will be contested on the Sunday.
- Free practice 1: 12:30pm-1:30pm, Friday, March 6
- Free practice 2: 4pm-5pm, Friday March 6
- Free practice 3: 12:30pm-1:30pm, Saturday, March 7
- Qualifying: 4pm-5pm, Saturday March 7
- Grand prix: 3pm, Sunday March 8
All times are in AEDT
How can I watch the Australian Grand Prix?
The F1 Australian Grand Prix can be watched on commercial and pay television, as well as streaming platforms.
Network 10 is the free-to-air broadcaster, with the race being shown on Channel 10 and streamed on 10 Play.
Pay television provider Foxtel will also broadcast the Australian Grand Prix on Fox Sports channel 507. You can also stream online via Foxtel Go or on Kayo.
ABC Sport will be publishing a live blog of the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, March 8.
Who are the drivers and teams in the 2026 F1 season?
The 2026 F1 championship has 11 teams, each fielding two drivers.
Audi enters the sport for the first time as a constructor, fully taking over from the team formerly known as Sauber.
Cadillac is the brand new team for 2026.
The American outfit makes its F1 debut in Melbourne, with plenty of buzz and excitement for the future.
There is one rookie on the grid to start the 2026 season.
Red Bull Academy driver Arvid Lindblad will make his F1 debut in Melbourne, driving for Racing Bulls.
This is the first season since 2016 that features more than 10 teams.
| Team | Drivers (car number) |
|---|---|
| Alpine | Pierre Gasly (10), Franco Colapinto (43) |
| Aston Martin | Fernando Alonso (14), Lance Stroll (18) |
| Audi | Gabriel Bortoleto (5), Nico Hülkenberg (27) |
| Cadillac | Sergio Perez (11), Valterri Bottas (77) |
| Ferrari | Charles Leclerc (16), Lewis Hamilton (44) |
| Haas | Esteban Ocon (31), Oliver Bearman (87) |
| McLaren | Lando Norris (1), Oscar Piastri (81) |
| Mercedes | Kimi Antonelli (12), George Russell (63) |
| Racing Bulls | Liam Lawson (30), Arvid Lindblad (41) |
| Red Bull Racing | Max Verstappen (3), Isack Hadjar (6) |
| Williams | Alexander Albon (23), Carlos Sainz Jr (55) |
How many races are in the 2026 F1 season?
The 2026 F1 season will be contested over 24 rounds.
Each of the 24 rounds will have a grand prix, while six of the rounds will also hold a sprint race (one-third of a grand prix).
There is a brand new circuit on the calendar for 2026.
The Spanish Grand Prix (round 13) will be held in Madrid for the first time on a street circuit.
Previously, the Spanish Grand Prix has been held in Barcelona, which is still on the calendar as the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix (round nine).
| Round | Grand prix | Country | Circuit, city | Race date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Australian Grand Prix | Australia | Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne | March 8 |
| Round 2 | Chinese Grand Prix | China | Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai | March 15 (sprint March 14) |
| Round 3 | Japanese Grand Prix | Japan | Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka | March 29 |
| Round 4 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Bahrain | Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir | April 12 |
| Round 5 | Saudi Arabian Grand Prix | Saudi Arabia | Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah | April 19 |
| Round 6 | Miami Grand Prix | United States | Miami International Autodrome, Miami Gardens | May 3 (sprint May 2) |
| Round 7 | Canadian Grand Prix | Canada | Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal | May 24 (sprint May 23) |
| Round 8 | Monaco Grand Prix | Monaco | Circuit de Monaco, Monaco | June 7 |
| Round 9 | Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix | Spain | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló | June 14 |
| Round 10 | Austrian Grand Prix | Austria | Red Bull Ring, Spielberg | June 28 |
| Round 11 | British Grand Prix | England | Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone | July 5 (sprint July 4) |
| Round 12 | Belgian Grand Prix | Belgium | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot | July 19 |
| Round 13 | Hungarian Grand Prix | Hungary | Hungaroring, Mogyoród | July 26 |
| Round 14 | Dutch Grand Prix | Netherlands | Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort | August 23 (sprint August 22) |
| Round 15 | Italian Grand Prix | Italy | Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza | September 6 |
| Round 16 | Spanish Grand Prix | Spain | Madring, Madrid | September 13 |
| Round 17 | Azerbaijan Grand Prix | Azerbaijan | Baku City Circuit, Baku | September 26 |
| Round 18 | Singapore Grand Prix | Singapore | Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore | October 11 (sprint October 10) |
| Round 19 | United States Grand Prix | United States | Circuit of the Americas, Austin | October 25 |
| Round 20 | Mexico City Grand Prix | Mexico | Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City | November 1 |
| Round 21 | São Paulo Grand Prix | Brazil | Autódromo José Carlos Pace (Interlagos), São Paulo | November 8 |
| Round 22 | Las Vegas Grand Prix | United States | Las Vegas Strip Circuit, Las Vegas | November 21 |
| Round 23 | Qatar Grand Prix | Qatar | Lusail International Circuit, Lusail | November 29 |
| Round 24 | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | United Arab Emirates | Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi | December 6 |
*All dates reflect when the race will be held in the host city
What is new to F1 in 2026?
Formula 1 has gone through an overhaul for the 2026 season.
New chassis and engine regulations usher in a new era for F1, with the cars completely different to the ones used in 2025.
The front and rear wings on the cars will change throughout the lap, depending on whether the driver is going through corners, or speeding down the straight.
Loading Instagram content
When a driver is on a long straight, they will be able to open the rear wing of their car and flatten out the front wings to reduce drag.
The reduction in drag will allow the car to achieve higher speeds.
While most teams have gone for the conventional rear wing that opens like a mailbox, Ferrari has designed a rear wing that rotates upside down.
Loading Twitter content
Meanwhile, the engine remains a 1.6 litre V6 turbo, but it will produce a lot more electrical power than before, potentially three times as much.
These new engines are expected to get roughly 50 per cent of their power from the electrical system, compared to the previous engines, where around 20 per cent of power was electrical.
You can read more about what is new in F1 for the 2026 season by tapping this link.
