Australian Oscar Piastri is leading the 2025 F1 Drivers’ Championship and will be a major drawcard for the 2026 Melbourne event. Photo: McLaren.
The Australian Formula 1 (F1) Grand Prix has been confirmed as the first race of the upcoming 2026 season.
Held at Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit, the race is widely regarded in the F1 community as being one of the best organised and managed on the F1 calendar.
Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos confirmed the race will be held over the week of Thursday 5 to Sunday 8 March 2026.
The event will include F1 practice on Friday and qualifying on Saturday, as well as numerous support events of other motorsport categories, and associated festivals and entertainment.
He said the 2025 event drew record-breaking crowds over the four days, with an estimated attendance of more than 465,000 fans coming through the gates at Albert Park, including 130,000 on the Sunday race day.
“Melbourne is the natural home of the Formula 1 opener and kicking off the 2026 season right here in Victoria is a huge win – keeping our city front and centre on the global stage,” Mr Dimopoulos said.
“After a record-breaking 2025 event, we can’t wait to do it all again – with the world’s best drivers, huge crowds and a city that knows how to celebrate big moments.
“The grand prix doesn’t just bring the buzz – it brings real economic benefits, with thousands of visitors filling local hotels, venues and attractions across the city and beyond.”
Melbourne has the Australian GP locked in until 2037, with the race weekend continuing to be of significant economic benefit to the city.
The minister said hotel occupancy in the city averaged 94 per cent across the 2025 event, a 15 per cent increase on the previous year, and the event contributed an estimated $3.3 billion to the state’s economy.
It is expected the popularity of the 2026 race will be further boosted by the success of Australian driver Oscar Piastri who is leading the 2025 Drivers’ Championship in his McLaren over his British teammate Lando Norris.
Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO Travis Auld said, “The Formula 1 calendar announcement is always an exciting moment, and in the coming weeks we will be sharing on-sale dates for tickets to the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix 2026, which we know will be eagerly anticipated.
“There is something special about being the first race of the season, and we’re looking forward to sharing that with hundreds of thousands of fans once again in 2026.”
President and CEO of Formula 1 Stefano Domenicali said the 2026 season would be held over 24 rounds on five continents and feature new regulations and three new teams.
“2026 will be a new era for Formula 1 where we will witness a brand-new set of regulations for our sport, the cars and the engines that will be powered by 100 per cent sustainable fuel.
“We are excited to welcome Madrid to the calendar, and to see huge automotive brands like Audi, Cadillac and Ford join the Formula 1 grid.
“It promises to be an unforgettable season, where once again we will come together at 24 amazing global venues to watch the best drivers in the world push themselves to the limit and produce incredible wheel-to-wheel racing for our millions of fans watching around the globe.”
