Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix: How to watch, start time, teams and drivers
Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix: How to watch, start time, teams and drivers
Jim Reineking, USA TODAYSat, March 7, 2026 at 5:00 PM UTC
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The new Formula 1 season opens with the Australian Grand Prix on Saturday, March 7 (United States time) with McLaren chasing a third consecutive constructors' championship, and Ferrari and Mercedes as the biggest threats to the title-holder's throne.
Major technical changes for 2026 have been implemented with drivers having to adjust — and one team in panic mode due to the new regulations.
While these changes are destined to be huge talking points on Season 9 of Netflix's "Drive to Survive," the list of top contending drivers will be familiar to anybody who follows F1. Lando Norris of McLaren enters as the reigning drivers' champion, ending Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen's four-year stranglehold atop the sport. Verstappen, Norris' McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, and Mercedes' George Russell also figure to be in the mix for the 2026 drivers' championship.
This also marks the first season for Apple TV as the exclusive U.S. broadcaster for Formula 1 races, taking over for ESPN.
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Here is what to know about Formula 1's season-opening race, as well as the teams and full 2026 schedule:
1 / 0Winners from each Formula One race in the 2025 seasonOct. 19: Max Verstappen, US Grand PrixHow to watch the F1 Australian Grand Prix -
Date: Saturday, March 7
Time: 11 p.m. ET
Where: Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit (Melbourne, Australia)
TV: None
Stream: Apple TV
What are the Formula 1 teams and drivers?Alpine -
Team chief: Flavio Briatore
Drivers: Franco Colapinto, Pierre Gasly
Aston Martin -
Team chief: Adrian Newey
Drivers: Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll
Audi -
Team chief: Jonathan Wheatley
Drivers: Gabriel Bortoleto, Nico Hülkenberg
Cadillac -
Team chief: Graham Lowdon
Drivers: Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Pérez
Ferrari -
Team chief: Frédéric Vasseur
Drivers: Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc
Haas -
Team chief: Ayao Komatsu
Drivers: Oliver Bearman, Esteban Ocon
McLaren -
Team chief: Andrea Stella
Drivers: Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri
Mercedes -
Team chief: Toto Wolff
Drivers: Kimi Antonelli, George Russell
Red Bull Racing -
Team chief: Laurent Mekies
Drivers: Isack Hadjar, Max Verstappen
Racing Bulls -
Team chief: Alan Permane
Drivers: Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad
Williams -
Team chief: James Vowles
Drivers: Alexander Albon, Carlos Sainz Jr.
2026 Formula 1 schedule
(All races broadcast on Apple TV)
March 7 — Australian Grand Prix (Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit), 11 p.m. ET
March 15 — Chinese Grand Prix (Shanghai International Circuit), 3 a.m. ET
March 29 — Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka International Racing Course), 1 a.m. ET
April 12 — Bahrain Grand Prix (Bahrain International Circuit), 11 a.m. ET
April 19 — Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (Jeddah Street Circuit), 1 p.m. ET
May 3 — Miami Grand Prix (Miami International Autodrome), 4 p.m. ET
May 24 — Canadian Grand Prix (Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve), 4 p.m. ET
June 7 — Monaco Grand Prix (Circuit de Monaco), 9 a.m. ET
June 14 — Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix (Circuit de Catalunya), 9 a.m. ET
June 28 — Austrian Grand Prix (Red Bull Ring), 9 a.m. ET
July 5 — British Grand Prix (Silverstone Circuit), 10 a.m. ET
July 19 — Belgium Grand Prix (Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps), 9 a.m. ET
July 26 — Hungarian Grand Prix (Hungaroring), 9 a.m. ET
Aug. 23 — Dutch Grand Prix (Circuit Park Zandvoort), 9 a.m. ET
Sept. 6 — Italian Grand Prix (Autodromo Nazionale Monza), 9 a.m. ET
Sept. 13 — Spanish Grand Prix (Madring), 9 a.m. ET
Sept. 26 — Azerbaijan Grand Prix (Baku City Circuit), 7 a.m. ET
Oct. 11 — Singapore Grand Prix (Marina Bay Street Circuit), 8 a.m. ET
Oct. 25 — United States Grand Prix (Circuit of the Americas), 4 p.m. ET
Nov. 1 — Mexico City Grand Prix (Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez), 3 p.m. ET
Nov. 8 — São Paulo Grand Prix (Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace), 12 p.m. ET
Nov. 21 — Las Vegas Grand Prix (Las Vegas Street Circuit), 11 p.m. ET
Nov. 29 — Qatar Grand Prix (Losail International Circuit), 11 a.m. ET
Dec. 6 — Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Yas Marina Circuit), 8 a.m. ET
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: F1 Australian Grand Prix 2026 start time, how to watch, driver lineup
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