A Quick Australian Grand Prix Race Guide

Welcome to Australia, and the traditional Formula 1 season-opener since 1996 (with a few COVID-era exceptions). This race is usually a popular race to attend in-person since it’s held in Melbourne (an awesome city) at the beginning of autumn in Australia.

Here’s your mini Australian Grand Prix race guide, including all you need to know about tickets, where to sit, the fan experience, what you can bring to the track, and more.

Quick race guide to the Australian GP

Here’s everything you need to know if you’re headed to the Australian Grand Prix, or are interested in traveling to Australia one day for an F1 race.

Official race name

Officially, this is the FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX.

When is it?

The Australian GP takes place March 5-7, 2026. The schedule is:

March 5: Practice 1, Practice 2
March 6: Practice 3, Qualifying
March 7: Race Day

Race location

The Australian GP takes place in Melbourne at the Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit. This is a 5.278-kilometer (3.28-mile) long street circuit within Albert Park, a large public park in Melbourne. The circuit mostly uses existing roads in Albert Park (mainly Aughtie Drive and Lakeside Drive), and drivers race 58 laps here.

Formula 1 first raced here in 1996 — though Australia has been hosting Grand Prix races all across the country since 1928!

Getting to the track

Albert Park is easily accessible by tram or bus from central Melbourne (it’s about a 30-minute tram ride or 45-minute bus ride).

A ticket to the GP (for any day) includes free tram shuttle transport from downtown to Albert Park. The free shuttles run from just outside Flinders Street Station, and also from Southern Cross station. They run frequently during the grand prix weekend, but you can expect some lines, especially when it comes to leaving the track right after major events. More info here on these free shuttles.

There are also other (paid) public transport options available between Albert Park and other places around Melbourne.

This is one track where public parking is not available, so don’t plan on driving to the race.

Australian GP ticket options

I always recommend checking ticket options through the host circuit first. For the Australian GP, check out:

Albert Park Circuit website for Park Passes (general admission tickets), grandstand tickets, and track hospitality suites/packages. (Note that they use Ticketmaster for their ticket sales.)
F1 Experiences for Champions Club, Paddock Club, and other specialty hospitality packages

Note that tickets generally go on sale about 6 months in advance for this race (for the march 2026 race, tickets went on sale in September 2025). And this is a race where a certain number of tickets go on sale for American Express cardholders one week before the general public gets access.

Tickets to the Aussie race are always a hot commodity, and absolutely do sell out — some very quickly!

Best place(s) to sit

Like all Formula 1 races, there are 3 major types of tickets available for the Australian Grand Prix. There are Park Pass tickets (general admission), Grandstand tickets, and then various hospitality ticket packages (think: suites, clubs, etc.).

The “best” place to sit at any race is always subjective. But, a few suggestions include:

For Park Pass/GA seating, F1 itself recommends between Turns 8, 9, and 10 (Brocky’s Hill is the most popular spot) for picnic vibes with good views.

For Grandstand seating, the the Fangio Main Grandstand is good if you want to see the starting grid, race finish, and podium celebrations; Brabham Grandstand between Turns 1 and 2 is best for any potential on-track action, especially on the first lap (and is close to the Fan Zone); Button Grandstand near Turn 8 is good for some sweeping track views and high speeds; and the Prost Grandstand at the last turn of the circuit is also very popular, with views down the main straight.

Note: The vast majority of grandstand seats at Albert Park are uncovered, so definitely be prepared to be out in the weather, whatever that may be!

The fan experience

The vibe at the Australian Grand Prix is always a fun one! Aussies are a fun bunch to begin with, and the race at Albert Park is usually really well-organized despite happening at a temporary circuit.

Albert Park is open Thursday-Sunday during race weekend, and on Thursday all Grandstand seats are open to everyone — including Park Pass ticket holders. So consider checking out different views around the track on Thursday!

As far as the fan experience goes, there’s a lot on offer in Melbourne for fans attending this race! Instead of just one main F1 Fanzone, there are actually several fan areas (or precincts) throughout the circuit offering all the fan favorites and then some!

Fan zone precincts in 2026 (which are all accessible with a general admission Park Pass or any other race ticket) include:

Melbourne Junction — An area for food and drink vendors (including a wine bar by Daniel Ricciardo!), brand activations, merch stands, posh hospitality, and lots of shaded seating areas. Located on the inside of the circuit behind the pit lane and Brabham suites.
Lakeside — Behind Melbourne Junction, this is where you’ll find the Fan Forum stage for driver interviews (F1 drivers always appear Friday-Saturday) and nighttime musical performances (more on this below). There’s also a rooftop lounge here for American Express cardholders, a beer garden, and some other hospitality areas.
Pit Stop Park – Found near Gate 8 behind Turns 9 and 10 on the outside of the track, this fan zone is the family-friendly one. There are car displays, a LEGO F1 Fan Zone, the Innovation Hub, plus food and drink vendors alongside more kid-friendly activities.
Motorsport Straight – This is a unique one! This fan area is located on the outside of the track behind the main grandstands, and is actually the paddock for the Supercars and Porsche Carrera Cup support races — and you get access to it with a Grand Prix ticket of any kind! You can get up close to the cars, see historic displays, and see podium ceremonies for the support races here. In 2025, this area also hosted the AMEX Fan Experience, with even more activations.

Another popular spot fans always want to know about in Australia is the famous Melbourne Walk, which is basically just the walking route the drivers, team principles, etc. take to enter the F1 paddock after they arrive at the circuit. The Melbourne Walk is within the Melbourne Junction fan area, near the entrance to the pits at Paddock Club.

This is still one of the best places to potentially see drivers/get autographs and selfies at the track, BUT the secret is definitely out, and if you want a good chance at being front-row for all the driver arrivals, you basically need to be at the circuit entrance gates before they open, and then RUN to the Melbourne Walk as soon as you get in.

What you can/can’t bring

Knowing what you’re allowed to bring to the race and what’s prohibited is important when planning your Australian GP weekend!

Things you CANNOT bring to the Australian GP include:

Alcohol of your own
Drugs or any other illegal substance
Weapons, firearms, etc.
Glass bottles or containers of any kind
Drinks or other liquids in non-sealed containers (so if you want to bring your own water or drinks, they have to be in factory-sealed bottles)
Hard-sided coolers
Flares, fireworks, and laser pointers
Metal flag poles for banners/signs
Whistles, bullhorns, PA systems, etc.
Bikes, scooters, skateboards, roller blades
Inflatable chairs/couches
Animals other than registered service animals (sorry, no dogs!)
Drones
Cameras with lenses larger than 300mm, and any “professional” recording equipment
Any items/symbols that could be considered politically, religiously, or racially offensive, including “protest paraphernalia”

Things you CAN bring with you:

Food/snacks
Empty reusable water bottles (there are free water refill stations around the track)
Soft-sided cooler bags
A folding chair or folding stool (think: camp-style chairs)
Picnic blanets/rugs
Cameras with detachable lenses smaller than 300mm

Track invasion info

After an incident in 2023 when fans rushed the track before the race was officially over, the track invasion was banned in Australia in 2024. The ban was lifted in 2025, though, so now it’s back on again — though now we’re calling it a “Track Walk” instead.

In 2025, there were 9 dedicated entry points around the track; you can see them all marked on this interactive circuit map.

The new process for entering the track is this, straight from the circuit website: “Once the track is clear, a siren will sound, and the designated track entry points will open. … Access to the track is ONLY available via these entry points.”

If you’re hoping to get to the podium for the trophy presentation and celebrations, the closest entry points are at the far right end of the main grandstand (on the outside of the track, from within the Motorsport Straight fan area), on the outside of the track next to the Laneway suite, and on the inside of the track from the Melbourne Junction fan area, right next to the pit exit.

Other race weekend events

Along with all the things happening during race weekend — including all the support races — there’s also the Crown Lakeside Festival at Albert Park, which takes place in the evenings in the Lakeside fan area.

There are evening concerts Friday-Sunday on race weekend, with performances each evening from roughly 5-8:30 p.m. In 2025, headliners included Tones & I and Fatboy Slim. These concerts are free for anyone with an Australian Grand Prix ticket on the specific day(s) they have tickets for.

There are also fan-focused events in other places around Melbourne during F1 race weekend, as well. Some of these include:

F1 Melbourne Fan Festival – This free 5-day festival took place March 12-16, 2025 at Melbourne Park Oval. There were F1 fanzone-style activations, photo ops, food and merch vendors, live interviews and Q&A sessions, plus big screen to watch all the action at Albert Park.
Red Bull Fan Zone – Along with some other activations at Crown Riverwalk in Melbourne, Red Bull also had a free fan zone with driver appearances, race simulators, DJ sets, and more.
Williams Melbourne Fan Zone – Williams also did a fan zone pop-up at The Atrium, Fed Square, with driver appearances, simulators, and more. This one was also free, but you had to download an app to attend.

What else to do in Melbourne

If you’re traveling for the Australian Grand Prix, here are 5 things you can do in/around Melbourne while you’re not at the track:

Eat your way through the Queen Victoria Market
Take a stroll in the picturesque Royal Botanic Gardens
Admire art at the National Gallery of Victoria
Visit a beach close to the city like St. Kilda Beach or Brighton Beach
Take a road trip along the Great Ocean Road

Have you ever been to the Australian Grand Prix? If so, what tips would you give people who are going?