Just three months after Lando Norris celebrated his first F1 driver’s title, we are set to go again, as the 2026 season bursts into life this weekend with the Australian Grand Prix. Motorsport maniacs all over the globe will eagerly be watching the action unfold from Albert Park in Melbourne.
You’ll have to remember to set those alarm clocks, as the lights go green for the race itself at 4 am (GMT) on Sunday, March 8. It’s the first grand prix of an action-packed 24-race season that goes all the way through until December and the curtain-closer in Abu Dhabi.
Let GOAL give you all the important information you need ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, including the full schedule of events and how you can watch and stream every session live.
📺 How to watch the Australian Grand Prix 2026
The Australian Grand Prix is available to watch live on Sky Sports F1 (and Main Event) in the UK, as all F1 race weekends will be this year. Sky Sports’ coverage includes not only the main Sunday race itself, but also the practice and qualifying sessions on Friday and Saturday too.
If you're an existing Sky customer, you can add Sky Sports online or through the My Sky app at any time. The package starts from £22 per month with Sky Stream. Sky Sports+ is included at no extra cost, which allows the viewer the opportunity to watch many more live events across a range of sports. The Sky Sports app allows subscribers to download and watch live sport on the go and is available on iPhone, iPad, and Android.
Non-Sky Customers can also stream the action with NOW TV. There are a variety of sign-ups for the avid sports watcher, including the Sports ‘Day Membership’, which allows access to all 12 Sky Sports channels for 24 hours for £14.99. NOW’s ‘Fully Flexible’ Sports membership again gives unlimited Sky Sports access, but over 30 days instead. That costs £34.99 a month and auto-renews unless cancelled before the end of the monthly period.
There’s also a ‘12-Month Saver’ package, where you are charged 20% less and pay only £27.99 a month. However, you need to sign up for a 12-month minimum term. After the 12-month minimum term, it auto-renews at £34.99 a month unless cancelled.
Where is the Australian Grand Prix 2026 held?
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The F1 Australian Grand Prix has been held at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne every year since 1996, with the exceptions of 2020 and 2021, when the races were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before being staged at the Melbourne venue, the Australian Grand Prix was raced in Adelaide.
The Albert Park track, which consists of roads normally used by the public, is considered to be fast but relatively easy to drive, with the consistent placement of corners allowing drivers to easily learn the circuit and achieve competitive times. The Grand Prix regularly draws crowds of over 250,000 spectators, with last year's 2025 edition drawing a record high of over 465,498, with 131,547 of those attending on raceday Sunday.
Albert Park is the only venue to host the Australian Grand Prix in both F1 World Championship and non-World Championship formats. An earlier configuration of the current circuit was used for the race on two occasions during the 1950s, too.
Australian Grand Prix 2026 Weekend Schedule
The Australian Grand Prix 2026 runs over the full weekend, from Friday, March 6, through Sunday, March 8. Practice, qualifying, and the race itself are spread out over three days.
Below, you can find the timings for each session, as well as which platform to watch or stream them on:
| Date | Session | Time (GMT) | Watch | Stream |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, March 6 | Practice 1 | 1:30 am | Sky Sports F1 | NOW TV |
| Friday, March 6 | Practice 2 | 5 am | Sky Sports F1 | NOW TV |
| Saturday, March 7 | Practice 3 | 1:30 am | Sky Sports F1 | NOW TV |
| Saturday, March 7 | Qualifying | 5 am | Sky Sports F1 | NOW TV |
| Sunday, March 8 | Grand Prix | 4 am | Sky Sports F1 | NOW TV |
What to expect from the Australian Grand Prix 2026
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The Australian Grand Prix has been a regular event on the F1 World Championship schedule since 1985. It was first held at the Adelaide Street Circuit and remained there for eleven years straight before being moved to its present location of Albert Park in Melbourne in 1996.
Michael Schumacher holds the record for most race wins at Albert Park, having topped the podium there four times (2000, 2001, 2002 & 2004). We’ve had six different winners in each of the last six editions, though, so expect the unexpected.
Anticipation is high amongst F1 fans all over the planet as we head into a brand new season, with a whole host of questions swirling around. Can Lando Norris maintain his momentum in his McLaren and, in so doing, become the first British driver to win his inaugural title and defend it successfully? Norris will be partnered by Aussie driver, Oscar Piastri, once again.
Will Mercedes, who have impressed pundits during pre-season testing, get off to a flyer when racing starts for real? Bookmakers have both their drivers, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, as two of their top fancies for this campaign.
Are Ferrari, who amazingly haven’t won the drivers’ title since Kimi Raikkonen claimed the crown in 2007, going to be in contention for honours this season? Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton remain behind the wheel, and both will be looking to push on after finishing 5th and 6th, respectively, in 2025.
Max Verstappen chances cannot be dismissed too lightly of course either. How will the dynamic Dutchman react after just falling short of clinching a record-equalling fifth straight drivers’ title last year?
While there have been no high-profile driver changes for the start of the 2026 season, there is a significant change in the pit lane. Cadillac became the first new team on the F1 grid for a decade (since Haas in 2016), with two former Australian Grand Prix winners, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, booked to drive for them.
With F1 undergoing arguably the biggest regulation shake-up in its history, all the drivers will need to adapt quickly if they are to hit the ground running this season. The major changes include an almost 50:50 split between internal combustion and electric power, smaller, lighter cars and the introduction of active aerodynamics.
Can I watch the Australian Grand Prix 2026 on F1 TV?
F1 TV is the over-the-top streaming package operated by Formula One Management (FOM), the provider of the world feed for F1 broadcasts throughout each season. The service offers commercial-free coverage of all races as part of a single package. Due to rights deals, F1 TV is limited to the countries it is allowed to operate in. The service is unavailable in the United Kingdom, meaning fans hoping to use it would need a VPN to access it and watch the 2026 Australian Grand Prix.
However, you can still purchase F1 TV in the UK to access bonus content, such as live timing, map and leaderboard features, as well as access to team radios and other statistics. You can also view pre- and post-race shows with in-depth analysis and behind-the-scenes facts.
Can I watch the Australian Grand Prix 2026 on demand?
If you have a Sky Sports F1 subscription, you can watch a re-run of the 2026 Australian Grand Prix on demand after the race has finished through the channel’s digital and online options. The Sky Go app, for mobile devices and personal tablets, will allow viewers to watch the race in full, while those with a Sky+ subscription will also be able to record the race and catch it retroactively.
Additionally, those with NOW TV will be able to effectively draw upon the Sky Sports F1 coverage, too, though their ability to access on-demand replay broadcasts will be limited due to the nature of the package.
🛜 How to watch the Australian Grand Prix 2026 from anywhere with a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view the Australian Grand Prix locally, you may need a different way to watch the race. That's where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on race day, by encrypting your traffic, and it's also a great idea if you're travelling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet, or laptop to get access to race action. Most VPNs, like ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this. We recommend NordVPN if you're unsure which VPN to choose, but you can also check out our in-depth VPN guide to determine which one is best for you.
