The Australian GP sees Formula 1 switch continents after the desert races of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
The Australian Grand Prix will take place in Melbourne on Sunday 2 April. The start time for the race is at 7:00 am German time. The live broadcast is available on Sky.
Here you can find all the information about the Melbourne Grand Prix: the schedule with practice and qualifying, the live broadcast on TV and stream, the track as well as the favourites with bets.
Formula 1 GP Australia: Start time & Programme
Table of Contents
Date & Time: When is the Australia Formula 1 GP 2023?
The Australian Grand Prix is the third race of this 2023 Formula 1 season and will be held at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne.
The race will start at 15:00 local time on Sunday. The time difference from Australia to Germany is +8 hours.
The start time for the Der Australien GP is at 7:00 a.m. German time on Sunday.
Melbourne GP: Schedule & Dates
The schedule for the Australian Grand Prix is spread over three days.
The first and second practice sessions are scheduled for Friday at 5:00am and 8:00am German time. The third practice session will take place on Saturday at 5:00 am CEST.
Qualifying will start at 8:00 a.m. German time on Saturday (1.4.) in the morning. Then the battle for the starting grid for Sunday’s race will begin.
Formula 1 Australia GP coverage on TV and Livestream
This season’s Formula 1 coverage is available in its entirety on payTV channel Sky.
Sky will be showing the Australian GP live on Sky Sport F1 from 7:00am on Sunday 2 April.
But not only the race will be broadcast on Sky, but also all three practice sessions as well as qualifying on Saturday. Even the driver and team boss press conferences on Thursday are included in the Formula 1 package.
Sky also offers the broadcast of the Meldbourne GP 2023 in a livestream. Those who have Sky can be there via Sky Go, Formula 1 fans who are without a Sky subscription can book the race on the streaming portal WOW with a ticket.
However, there will be no free-TV broadcast of the Australian Grand Prix.
RTL has withdrawn from negotiations with Sky about sub-licences for selected races. The Melbourne Grand Prix will therefore be shown in Germany exclusively on Sky.
Australian GP broadcast on Sky: Commentator & Expert
Who will be on Sky’s coverage of the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix?
The commentator for the Melbourne GP is Sascha Roos, with former Formula 1 drivers Ralf Schumacher and Timo Glock as experts.
Reporter Sandra Baumgartner, will provide interviews in the pit lane and the mixed zone.
The track of the Australian Formula 1 GP
The Formula 1 Australian GP has traditionally been run in Melbourne, at Albert Circuit Park. It has been held continuously since 1996 until 2020, when the Melbourne Australian GP had to be cancelled twice in a row due to corona.
In the past, the Melbourne circuit was considered to be less conducive to overtaking. To counteract this action-inhibiting aspect, a lot of work was done in 2020 and 2021 to make the circuit more attractive and, above all, faster.
In general, the length of the track has been shortened – from 5.303 kilometres to 5.279 kilometres. The number of bends has also been reduced – from 16 to 14.
The new Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne
The Albert Park track modifications in all its glory 👀
We cannot wait to see the F1 drivers going wheel-to-wheel around the new AusGP circuit layout 🙌
Details: https://t.co/BBzio3H2lh pic.twitter.com/M1BJZsa4WN
– F1 Australian Grand Prix (@ausgrandprix) June 22, 2021
The biggest changes affected turns 9 and 10 (the former chicane has completely disappeared, a full gas section has been created in its place) as well as 11 (to become THE new passing spot) and 13.
Turn 1 has also been changed. The first corner of the Formula 1 Australian GP was an absolute accident hotspot in the past – especially at the start – and has been widened by two and a half metres in the right-hand direction.
In addition, the entire track was resurfaced. This was urgently needed, as the Albert Park Circuit’s asphalt had never been renewed in its F1 history so far, although the track is open to normal traffic for 51 weeks a year.
The first winner after the renovations was Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc last year.
Preview & Favourites Check
Who will win the 2023 Australian Grand Prix?
Given the results and impressions from the first two races of the season so far, it is clear that the favourites are Team Red Bull – and especially Max Verstappen.
This is also shown by the forecasts and betting odds of online bookmaker Bet365. Verstappen is clearly leading the field. However, the Dutchman has never been able to win in Melbourne.
There was a Red Bull one-two in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. First Verstappen ahead of Perez, then Perez ahead of Verstappen.
Fernando Alonso, who has been the surprise of this young season so far, came third twice. Will the Spanish veteran champion be “Best of the Rest” again?
Behind the top trio, the Ferraris are expected with Charles Leclerc, last year’s Australian GP winner, and his team-mate Carlos Sainz.
How strong are the Mercedes with four-time Melbourne winner Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, who finished third here in 2022?
