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F1 goes down under for the third round of the 2023 season. Will Australia provide us with a first glimpse of a potential intra-team fight between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez? Make sure to also check out our F1 predictions for the weekend.
We have listed everything you need to know ahead of the 2023 Australian Grand Prix: start times for all sessions, how to watch, and much more.
Australia Grand Prix Start Time UK and Schedule
Contents
Australia Grand Prix Date
The 2023 Australia Grand Prix will take place on Sunday, April 2nd.
Australia Grand Prix Start Time
The 2023 Australia Grand Prix is set to go green at 6:00 am GMT.
Here is a detailed schedule for this weekend’s Australia Grand Prix sessions, with all start times listed for UK viewers.
Australia GP 2023 Schedule
Friday, March 31st | Session Time (GMT) |
Free Practice 1 | 1:30 am – 2:30 am |
Free Practice 2 | 5:00 am – 6:00 am |
Saturday, April 1st | Session Time (GMT) |
Free Practice 3 | 1:30 am – 2:30 am |
Qualifying | 5:00 am – 6:00 am |
Sunday, April 2nd | Session Time (GMT) |
Race | 5:00 am |
How Can I Watch the Australia GP?
Viewers in the UK can follow all the Australia GP’s action live on TV and streaming, with the lights set to go off at 6:00 am. Sky Sports F1 will broadcast the race live, with live streaming available on NOW. Channel 4 is also going to broadcast a highlights show after the race.
F1 fans in the US can watch the 2023 Australia Grand Prix live on ESPN.
Television Channels
TV Channel | Location |
Sky Sports F1 | UK |
ESPN | US |
TSN/RDS | Canada |
Fox Sports | Australia |
Streaming Services
Streaming Service | Location |
NOW TV/Sky Go App | UK |
ESPN | US |
TSN Direct | Canada |
Kayo | Australia |
About the Australia Grand Prix
While the Australian Grand Prix has been around since the late 1920’s, it only became part of F1’s schedule in 1985. Originally held in the streets of Adelaide, the GP moved to the Albert Park Street Circuit in Melbourne in 1996.
The high-speed temporary circuit uses the road section around the Albert Park Lake. A fan – and driver – favorite, the Albert Park Circuit retained its original layout until 2021, when the track was redesigned.
In a bid to improve racing and make it easier for cars to follow one another, turns 1, 3, 6 and 15 were widened. Turn 13 was redesigned, while the medium-speed chicane at turns 9 and 10 was ditched in favor of a high-speed sweeper.
Drivers only had a chance to sample the redesigned layout in 2022, already under the new regulations. The previous 1:24.125 track record, set by Michael Schumacher onboard the legendary F2004, was finally broken after 18 years. Charles Leclerc set a 1:20.260, 3.865 second up on the previous mark. Leclerc also broke the unofficial record, set by Lewis Hamilton with a 1:20.486 during qualifying in 2019. The Monegasque scored a 1:17.868 pole position lap.
Albert Park has also seen its fair share of historic races. The 1996, which marked the new track’s debut, nearly saw Jacques Villeneuve score a win on his first start. However, after a dominant run from pole, the race ended in heartbreaking fashion for the 1995 Indy 500 winner: an oil leak relegated Villeneuve to a second-place finish, behind teammate and eventual champion Damon Hill.
Albert Park traditionally held the opening race of the season, which usually led to chaotic races. The combination of cars in their early development cycle, rustiness from the offseason and the track’s layout often led to plenty of clashes.
Some iconic Australian Grand Prix moments include the start pile-up in 2002; the high-attrition race in 2008, in which only six cars made it to the finish; Brawn GP’s historic 1-2 in 2009; and the wet-dry-wet race won by Button the following year.
Altitude and Weather
Rain can always be a factor in Melbourne. We could very well have the first wet session of 2023 in FP1, with a 60% chance of rain. The race itself, however, is most likely going to take place on a dry track, with under 20% chance of rain. Expect the cars to go even faster, as the race is set to be held under a cloudy sky and with temperatures between 10-19°C.
Australia GP Stats
Here are the stats for the Australia GP:
First Australia Grand Prix: 1985
Last Australia Grand Prix: 2022
Circuit length: 5.278 km
Number of laps: 58
Race distance: 306.124 km
Lap record: Charles Leclerc, 2022 (1:20.260)
Most Wins (Drivers)
Michael Schumacher – 4
Alain Prost, Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel – 3
Ayrton Senna, Damon Hill, David Coulthard, Gerhard Berger, Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg – 2
Charles Leclerc, Eddie Irvine, Fernando Alonso, Giancarlo Fisichella, Keke Rosberg, Mika Hakkinen, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Thierry Boutsen, Valtteri Bottas – 1
Most Wins (Constructors)
McLaren – 11
Ferrari – 10
Williams – 5
Mercedes – 4
Renault – 2
Benetton, Brawn GP, Lotus, Red Bull – 1
Australian Offers More than Just Racing
Albert Park is a 225 ha public park in Melbourne. It encircles the Albert Park lake, a 49 ha artificial lake. Around five million visitors make their way to the park every year.
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