Australian GP 2026 session times
Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne — 6–8 Mar.
Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne — 6–8 Mar.Australian Grand Prix: Sunday 8 March at 04:00 UK time.
Session times
Times shown in circuit-local time (GMT+11).
- FP1Fri12:30
- FP2Fri16:00
- FP3Sat12:30
- QualifyingSat16:00
- RaceSun15:00
What this start time means where you are
Where the race lands for most readers: 23:00 on Saturday in the eastern US, a late-night start; 17:00 on Sunday in New Zealand, an afternoon start; and 04:00 on Sunday in the UK, an overnight start.
At 04:00 UK time, this is the earliest race start of the 2026 season.
The race runs on Sunday at the circuit, but not everywhere — it falls on a different calendar day in the eastern US (Saturday).
5 sessions across the weekend, opening with FP1 at 12:30 on Friday and closing with the race at 15:00 on Sunday, all circuit-local.
Round 1 of 23 opens the season, back-to-back with the Chinese Grand Prix the weekend after.
Every session, every timezone
| Session | Circuit local | UTC | UK | Central Europe | US Eastern | US Pacific | Brazil | Japan | Sydney | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FP1 | Fri 12:30 | Fri 01:30 | Fri 01:30 | Fri 02:30 | Thu 20:30* | Thu 17:30* | Thu 22:30* | Fri 10:30 | Fri 12:30 | Fri 14:30 |
| FP2 | Fri 16:00 | Fri 05:00 | Fri 05:00 | Fri 06:00 | Fri 00:00 | Thu 21:00* | Fri 02:00 | Fri 14:00 | Fri 16:00 | Fri 18:00 |
| FP3 | Sat 12:30 | Sat 01:30 | Sat 01:30 | Sat 02:30 | Fri 20:30* | Fri 17:30* | Fri 22:30* | Sat 10:30 | Sat 12:30 | Sat 14:30 |
| Qualifying | Sat 16:00 | Sat 05:00 | Sat 05:00 | Sat 06:00 | Sat 00:00 | Fri 21:00* | Sat 02:00 | Sat 14:00 | Sat 16:00 | Sat 18:00 |
| Race | Sun 15:00 | Sun 04:00 | Sun 04:00 | Sun 05:00 | Sat 23:00* | Sat 20:00* | Sun 01:00 | Sun 13:00 | Sun 15:00 | Sun 17:00 |
Times are 24-hour and account for daylight saving in each zone. An asterisk marks a session that falls on a different calendar day where you are than at the circuit.