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F1 Australian F1 Grand Prix 2027 — Race ScheduleAlbert Park Circuit, Melbourne · Apr 2-4 · Sprint weekend

Updated · By GrandPrixPal Editorial

2027 session times are not published yet — race start estimated by GrandPrixPal (checked )

Session times are not out yet

The FIA has confirmed the weekend — Apr 2-4 2027, round 3, sprint format — but not the clock times. They usually land a few months before the season. This page will carry them as soon as the AGPC publishes; until then, nothing below is a time to book a flight around.

Two things changed since 2026

Melbourne is no longer the season opener — it is round 3, behind Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. And it is now a sprint weekend, which moves the good sessions around: one practice instead of three, and two competitive sessions on Saturday rather than one.

Sprint weekend running order

SessionDayTime
Free Practice 1The weekend's only practice session. On a sprint weekend the teams get one hour before it starts counting.FridayTBC
Sprint QualifyingSets the grid for Saturday's sprint. Three segments, same elimination format as a normal qualifying hour.FridayTBC
Sprint100km, roughly a third of race distance, no mandatory pit stop. Points to the top eight.SaturdayTBC
QualifyingSets the grid for Sunday's Grand Prix. The second competitive session of the day.SaturdayTBC
Grand Prix58 laps of Albert Park.SundayTBC

Order is the standard F1 sprint format. The FIA confirms the running order alongside the times.

What the 2026 weekend ran to

Last year's published times, for the shape of a race day at Albert Park — when gates matter, how late you are there. The 2026 weekend was a standard format, so the sessions themselves do not map onto 2027.

SessionDateLocal time
Free Practice 1Friday 6 March 202612:30 AEDT
Free Practice 2Friday 6 March 202616:00 AEDT
Free Practice 3Saturday 7 March 202612:30 AEDT
QualifyingSaturday 7 March 202616:00 AEDT
RaceSunday 8 March 202615:00 AEDT

Time zones

Melbourne local: AEST (UTC+10) on race weekend, not AEDT — see the daylight-saving note below

UK: BST (UTC+1) — UK clocks go forward in late March, so they have already changed by early April

US Eastern: EDT (UTC-4) — US clocks change in mid-March

Central European: CEST (UTC+2)

Daylight saving ends on race weekend

Victoria ends daylight saving at 3am on the first Sunday in April, which on the confirmed 2027 calendar is race day itself — clocks go back an hour overnight between qualifying and the Grand Prix. If that holds, an alarm set on a phone that updates automatically is fine and a hotel clock radio is not. Worth confirming against the AGPC timetable once it is published, because it changes the local start time by an hour.

Gate opening times

Friday

Gates open: ~2–2.5 hours before the first session

Practice and sprint qualifying. Confirm on the AGPC app once times are published.

Saturday

Gates open: ~2–2.5 hours before the first session

Sprint and qualifying — the busiest non-race day of a sprint weekend, busier than a standard Saturday.

Sunday (Race Day)

Gates open: Earliest of the three days

Race day gates open early. Arrive at least 90 minutes before the Grand Prix for a comfortable entry.

Albert Park has historically opened gates 2–2.5 hours before the day's first session. Download the official Australian Grand Prix app for real-time gate status and session updates.

Day-by-day

Friday

One practice session, then sprint qualifying

  • →A sprint weekend gives the teams a single hour of practice before it starts counting, so Friday is not the low-stakes day it is at a standard weekend. Sprint qualifying that afternoon sets Saturday's grid.
  • →Still the quietest day for walking the perimeter. Albert Park's layout is less intuitive on foot than it looks on TV — learning the walkways and gate access now saves time on Sunday.
  • →Find the free water stations and food vendors while the lines are short.

Saturday

The sprint and qualifying — two competitive sessions

  • →This is the day a sprint weekend pays for itself. A 100km race in the morning-to-afternoon slot, then a full qualifying hour for Sunday's grid.
  • →Expect bigger Saturday crowds than a standard weekend draws. Arrive at least 30 minutes before gates open if you want a seat on the tram.
  • →The sprint has no mandatory pit stop, so what you watch is 100km of racing rather than a strategy exercise.

Sunday (Race Day)

58 laps — and plan your exit in advance

  • →Arrive 90 minutes before the race. The extra time lets you settle without rushing.
  • →Plan your post-race exit now, not at the chequered flag. Walking back to the CBD (35–40 min) beats waiting for a tram.
  • →Stay for the podium. It runs 15–20 minutes after the race, and by the time you leave the initial crowd surge has cleared.

Related Guides

Getting There →

Trams, walking, and the post-race exit plan

Grandstands →

Compare every seat at Albert Park

First-Timer Guide →

What to expect over the full race weekend

Packing Guide →

What to bring for each day at Albert Park

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