Preview: Australian Grand Prix - track guide, weather, schedule, how to watch, prediction

Three months on from Lando Norris clinching his first world championship in Abu Dhabi, Formula 1 returns for the 2026 season with new regulations and an additional team on the grid. 

A season that will run until the start of December will begin with Sunday's Australian Grand Prix at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne. 

Race Preview

The 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix brought the curtain down on the ground-effect era of cars, paving the way for a new era of Formula 1. 

One of the many regulation changes is centred around a new generation of power units, which will see a 50-50 split between internal combustion and electrical power. 

Russell looking for positive start in championship bid

George Russell will certainly hope that is the case as he looks to emulate his fellow Brit, Norris, in winning his first Formula 1 World Championship. 

Russell will face competition from his young teammate, Kimi Antonelli, who will be aiming to build upon all of the good and bad experiences from his rookie season. 

Norris won last year's Australian Grand Prix, but knows that he will have his work cut out to become the first back-to-back winner of this race since Sebastian Vettel topped the podium in 2017 and 2018. 

Meanwhile, Norris's teammate, Oscar Piastri, will be dreaming of starting his latest championship bid with a win in front of his home fans.

© Imago / IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Ferrari hoping for better fortunes

Ferrari experienced a difficult 2025, especially for seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who finished 86 points behind his teammate Charles Leclerc. 

New teams and misery for Aston Martin 

Audi have officially joined the grid for 2026 after completing their takeover process of Sauber, with the team still represented by Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoletto.

Meanwhile, Cadillac have become the 11th team and are likely to start life in Formula 1 towards the back of the grid.

They will be hoping to learn and develop quickly, a process that will be facilitated by the experienced driver pairing of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. 

Elsewhere on the grid, Aston Martin had earmarked 2026 as a real opportunity to become a top team, having combined Adrian Newey's design expertise with a Honda engine partnership.

However, performance and reliability problems with the Honda engine are threatening to ruin the 2026 season before it has even begun.

Newey, who was appointed team principal in November, revealed on Thursday that vibrations from the Honda engine put their drivers at risk of permanent nerve damage and is likely to affect their ability to finish Sunday's Grand Prix.

Track Guide - Albert Park (Melbourne)

© Imago / IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

First official Grand Prix: 1996

Circuit Length: 5.278km

Number of laps: 58

Lap record: Charles Leclerc - 1:19.813 (2024)

Most F1 race wins: Michael Schumacher (4)

Michael Schumacher has won the most Australian Grand Prixs that have taken place in a Formula 1 World Championship.

Hamilton, meanwhile, has stood on the top step in Melbourne on two occasions, although the most recent of those victories took place back in 2015. 

Leclerc, Bottas, Verstappen, Norris and Carlos Sainz are the other drivers on the grid who have previous experience of winning this Grand Prix. 

In regard to the track itself, Albert Park takes time to rubber in over a weekend due to it being a street circuit. 

Melbourne is one of the fastest tracks on the grid and has the potential to produce an exciting race. 

Having said goodbye to DRS, drivers can use active aero to reduce drag, which can be activated in five designated straight mode zones on the circuit.

Meanwhile, drivers will also have access to Overtake Mode, which will effectively allow them to sustain a higher speed for a longer duration.

While the active aero can be used on every lap, overtake mode is only available when a driver is within a second of the car in front at the detection point on the exit of turn 13. 

Australia GP schedule

When does qualifying start for the Australian GP?

The first qualifying session of the season will start at 4pm local time, which will be an early 5am start on Saturday for those watching in the UK. 

When does the Australian GP start?

Lights out will be at 3pm local time on Sunday, which will be a 4am start for viewers in the UK. 

Qatar Grand Prix weather forecast

Saturday

As per the F1 website, it will be mild and mostly clear on Saturday. The ambient temperature will hit a maximum of 19°C, with the track temperatures set to hit 30°C. 

Sunday

The temperature should warm up a little for race day, with a high of 24°C and around 45°C on track. As it stands, there is a 0% chance of rain for the first race of the season. 

How to watch the Australian GP?

TV

Sky Sports have exclusive F1 rights in the UK, with the race set to be shown on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports F1 channels. 

Streaming

Alternatively, you can also watch on Sky Go or on the Sky Sports app. Meanwhile, non-Sky customers, you can still follow the action by buying a NOW TV pass 

Highlights

There will be highlights of the action on the Sky Sports F1 YouTube page and the Sky Sports app. Highlights will also be shown on Channel 4 from 1pm on Sunday afternoon. 

We say: Russell to win

There is so much unpredictability surrounding the first race of the new regulations, but the consensus appears to be that Mercedes have a strong package, especially over race distance.

With that in mind, we think Russell could become the first Mercedes driver to win this Grand Prix since 2019.