MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Get ready for the Australian Grand Prix with a guide that tells you everything you need to know about how to watch the year’s first Formula 1 race, the schedule, and more:
How to watch the Australian Grand Prix on TV
— In the U.S., ESPN.
— Other countries are listed here.
What is the remainder of the Australian Grand Prix schedule?
— Saturday, March 15: Third practice and qualifying.
— Sunday, March 16: The 58-lap Australian Grand Prix.
Where is the Australian Grand Prix taking place?
The 5.2-kilometer (3.2-mile) Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit is laid out around a lake in Melbourne's inner suburbs and uses roads which are open to the public for the remainder of the year. It's a relatively fast track but overtaking is often difficult. This will be the first time since 2019 Australia hosts the season-opening race. The 2020 Australian GP was cancelled two hours before the scheduled season-opening racing weekend because of the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the lowlights of Max Verstappen’s 2024 world championship season was at Melbourne Park, where he went out in the fourth lap of the race with a fiery mechanical failure.
What do I need to know about F1 and the Australian Grand Prix?
Get caught up:
— Lewis Hamilton ready to race for Ferrari for the first time in F1’s season-opening Australian GP
— Red carpet, fashion and music: F1 launches its 2025 season Hollywood style
— Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli says Lewis Hamilton told him to enjoy himself in F1
— Oscar Piastri has signed a “multi-year” contract extension with McLaren
— George Russell says he won’t change approach to Max Verstappen after F1 feud in 2024
— Lando Norris says he’ll drive with ‘elbows out’ to compete with Max Verstappen this F1 season
— Meet Formula 1's biggest rookie class in year
— Lewis Hamilton wants to win another F1 title at 40. It hasn’t been done since the 1960s
Key stats at Albert Park
5 — Verstappen is targeting a fifth world title in a row. Only three other drivers — including Lewis Hamilton — have won five titles. Of those, only Michael Schumacher won five consecutively.
8 — Hamilton is aiming to win a record-breaking eighth title after joining his new team, Ferrari.
24 - The Australian Grand Prix kicks off a 24-race schedule, matching the record set last year for the longest F1 season.
125,548 — a record Friday crowd at Albert Park for the two F1 practice sessions and other support races.
Friday practice sessions
Ferrari took the contest to long-time rival McLaren in the second practice as Charles Leclerc closed out the session on top, just over one-tenth of a second ahead of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Leclerc and Norris traded fastest times throughout the late afternoon run. Lewis Hamilton had a much stronger second session for Ferrari, with the seven-time world champion finishing fifth, just over fourth-tenths behind teammate Leclerc.
What was said in preseason testing?
“I am really enjoying the car. We’re slowly bonding, I think." — Lewis Hamilton shares positive impressions of his Ferrari SF-25.
"It is difficult to tell where everyone’s pace is, so there is still a bit of work to do for us.” — Max Verstappen admits he and Red Bull aren't sure where they stand compared with rival teams.
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The Associated Press
