Testing is done and dusted, and now it’s time to get down to business as the new F1 season roars into life. The lights turn green, and it’s go-time at Albert Park in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, March 16. Don’t forget to set those alarm clocks, as it’s a 4 am start for UK viewers. Or you could stay up, of course. It’s the first grand prix of an action-packed 24-race season until December and the curtain-closer in Abu Dhabi.
The Australian Grand Prix, which had been the annual curtain-raiser, returns to its no.1 spot on the schedule for the first time since 2019. It had staged the third round in recent seasons, with Bahrain and Saudi Arabia leading the way. However, those Middle East race weekends have been pushed back this year to avoid clashing with the festival of Ramadan.
The Australian Grand Prix has been a round of the F1 World Championship 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 won there four times (2000, 2001, 2002, and 2004).
Getty Images Anticipation is high amongst F1 fanatics around the globe as we head into a brand new season, with a whole host of questions swirling around. How will Lewis Hamilton perform at Ferrari after switching teams and a triumphant 12-year stint at Mercedes? Can Max Verstappen become the first driver since Michael Schumacher to win five driver’s championships in a row? Are Lando Norris and McLaren going to build on their stellar season last year and justify their favouritism in the bookies’ markets?
British drivers have fared pretty well in Australia in the past, despite one not having tasted victory since 2015. Damon Hill is honoured to be the first-ever F1 driver to win at Albert Park in 1996. Since then, David Coulthard, Eddie Irvine, Jenson Button, and Lewis Hamilton have joyously sprayed the champagne in Melbourne. Lewis Hamilton has high hopes for a good finish this time, having won at Albert Park in 2008 and 2015. His new team, Ferrari, topped the constructors’ charts in Australia, and they took the win in 2024 with Carlos Sainz Jr., the fourth red machine to claim the top spot in Melbourne in the past six editions of the Australian Grand Prix.
Let GOAL show you all the information you need for the Australian Grand Prix 2025, including the full weekend schedule and where you can watch the race and all the sessions live, including practice and qualifying.
How to watch the Australian Grand Prix 2025
Getty ImagesLike all F1 race weekends this year, the Australian Grand Prix will be available to watch live and exclusively on Sky Sports F1 (and Main Event) in the UK. Sky Sports coverage includes not only the main race itself, which gets underway at 4 a.m. (GMT) on Sunday, March 16, but also additional coverage of practice and qualifying sessions across the weekend, offering round-the-clock coverage from Friday through to Sunday.
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 £20 per month with Sky Stream. Sky Sports+ is included at no extra cost, which allows the viewer to watch many more live events across a range of sports. The Sky Sports app allows subscribers to download and watch live sports on the go and is available on iPhone, iPad, and Android.
NOW TV offers 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 Month Membership’ again gives unlimited Sky Sports access over 30 days instead. That costs £29.99 a month and auto-renews unless cancelled before the end of the month.
There’s also a ‘6-month Saver’ package, where you are charged £25% less and pay only £26 a month. However, you need to sign up for a 6-month minimum term. After the 6-month minimum term, it auto-renews at £34.99 a month unless cancelled.
Where is the Australian Grand Prix 2025 held?
Getty ImagesThe 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. The Australian Grand Prix was raced in Adelaide before being staged at the Melbourne venue.
The Albert Park track, which consists of roads usually used by the public, is considered fast but relatively easy to drive, with the consistent placement of corners allowing the drivers to learn the circuit and achieve competitive times quickly. The Australian Grand Prix weekend regularly draws crowds of over 250,000 spectators, with last year's 2024 edition drawing a record high of over 450,000, with 130,000 of those attending race day 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 twice during the 1950s.
Australian Grand Prix 2025 Weekend Schedule
The Australian Grand Prix 2025 runs over the full weekend, from Friday, March 14th, through Sunday, March 16th. Practice, qualifying, and the race itself are spread out over three days.
Below, you can find the timings for each practice session, qualifying, and the Grand Prix, as well as which channel to watch them on:
Date | Session | Time (GMT) | Watch | Stream |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Friday, March 14 | Practice 1 | 1:30 am | NOW TV | |
Friday, March 14 | Practice 2 | 5 am | NOW TV | |
Saturday, March 15 | Practice 3 | 1:30 am | NOW TV | |
Saturday, March 15 | Qualifying | 5 am | NOW TV | |
Sunday, March 16 | Grand Prix | 4 am | NOW TV |
Can I watch the Australian Grand Prix 2025 on F1 TV?
Getty ImagesF1 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 2025 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 2025 on demand?
Getty ImagesIf you have a Sky Sports F1 subscription, you can watch a re-run of the 2025 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 game and catch it retroactively. Additionally, those with NOW TV can draw upon the Sky Sports F1 coverage too effectively. However, 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 2025 from anywhere with a VPN
You may need a different way to watch the race if you cannot view the Australian Grand Prix locally. 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. You want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins. With a VPN, you can virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to Grand Prix.
We highly recommend using NordVPN, but you can also check out our detailed VPN guide for other options.
