Australia plays host to the opener once more
Australia’s temporary street circuit that weaves its way through Melbourne’s beautiful Albert Park hosted this year’s season opener, having previously moved back to host the third round, and it’ll have that honour once again in 2026.
This year’s event was another step up, attracting a record weekend attendance of 465,498 – 13,443 higher than 2024 (which was a then-record).
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The 2026 season begins on March 6-8 in Melbourne – a week earlier than this year, giving the teams slightly less time to work on their new machines.
And, as was the case in 2025, it’ll run back-to-back with China, with Japan remaining as Race 3, albeit this time running as a standalone event. The timing still means the cherry blossoms are set to be out in force again at Suzuka.
