Do you know your McLaren from your Mercedes? Are you waiting to watch Lewis Hamilton make his much-awaited Ferrari debut? Or are you just keen to avoid the loud engine noises that will echo through the city?
The Australian Grand Prix has long been an anticipated event on the sporting calendar. But it’s experienced a boom in popularity following the success of Netflix’s Drive to Survive docuseries.
Here’s everything you need to know about the opening race of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
Fans cheer at the 2024 Melbourne Grand Prix. Credit: Eddie Jim
When and where is the Australian Grand Prix held?
The race will take place at the Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne from March 14 until March 16. There are also some additional events on Thursday, March 13.
Practice sessions will be held across Friday and Saturday, with qualifying happening on Saturday afternoon. The race starts at 3pm on Sunday.
In 2024, a record-breaking estimated crowd of 452,055 people flocked to Albert Park to watch the event. Early ticket calculations indicate that this year’s crowd should be even bigger.
General admission entry to the event are already sold out, with only some premium hospitality spots still available.
The Albert Park track has hosted the Australian Grand Prix since 1996.Credit: Getty Images
How do I get there?
All seven gates at the Albert Park precinct are easily accessible by public transport.
Thousands of extra tram services will be running during the event. Routes 96 and 12 will travel from Southern Cross Station to gates one, two and three. Routes 3a, 5a, 16a and 64a will run between Melbourne Central Station and Flinders Street Station and the remainder of the gates. These trips are free for ticket holders.
For bicycle riders, this year’s event has supervised parking compounds at gates five and 10, as well as additional (non-supervised) areas near gates two, three and eight. There are also dedicated drop-off zones for Lime and Neuron scooters.
Taxi and ride-share pick-up locations are also available, and the track is between a 30- and 60-minute walk from the city centre, depending on your nearest gate.
There is no public parking at the circuit.
How does a Formula 1 grand prix work?
An F1 race weekend features three main components: practice, qualifying and race day. These events typically take place over three days.
Max Verstappen won his fourth straight drivers’ title in 2024.Credit: Getty Images
Three practice sessions allow drivers and teams to fine-tune their cars to suit track conditions. A qualifying session then determines what position on the race day grid that drivers will start from.
Finally, the two drivers from each of the 10 teams try to race as fast as possible. Those who cross the line in the top 10 earn championship points, which go towards two end-of-season trophies.
The drivers’ championship is awarded to the individual driver who scores the most points throughout the year, while the constructors’ championship is given to the team who collectively score the most points.
What teams and drivers will be competing?
There are 10 teams taking part in this F1 season, each with two drivers. This list includes two Australians – Jack Doohan and Piastri.
The team list will look slightly different in 2026. Kick Sauber will compete as Audi and a new Cadillac team is set to become the 11th on the grid.
Teams will travel to 24 races across almost 10 months of this year, with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in early December marking the finale. In between teams will travel to locations like China, Monaco, the United States, Spain and Brazil.
McLaren are the reigning constructors’ champions – and widely considered favourites to take the title in 2025. In the drivers’ competition, Max Verstappen celebrated his fourth straight world championship last season. But with McLaren’s Lando Norris hot on his heels, and Hamilton switching to a new team, can he secure the trophy for a fifth time?
What changes have been made this season?
After George Russell’s major crash near the end of last year’s Melbourne race, changes have been made to the sixth turn of the Albert Park track.
Upon recommendations from the FIA, the governing body of motorsports, the outside curve and barrier have been altered to avoid bouncing. It is hoped that this will decrease the risk of serious crashes.
This year, spectators will once again be allowed to gather on the Albert Park circuit following the conclusion of the race. The practice was banned in 2024 due to safety concerns.
The FIA is also attempting to crack down on inappropriate language, after Verstappen was punished with community service for swearing in a 2024 press conference.
The governing body announced in January that drivers could potentially face race bans for excessive inappropriate language.
How much does Formula 1 cost Victoria?
Putting on a grand prix is no cheap endeavour.
Last year’s Australian race generated record-high revenue of $215 million – but cost $223.6 million to run. Victorian taxpayers paid $106 million to contribute to these operational costs, including the price of an extended free tram zone for the event.
Spanish driver Carlos Sainz won the 2024 race with Ferrari.Credit: Eddie Jim
Australian Grand Prix boss Travis Auld was paid as much as $690,000 last financial year, almost $100,000 more than the state independent body deemed appropriate.
But the event is also praised for its contributions to tourism and the local economy. A 2024 annual report estimated that 95 per cent of non-residents were in Melbourne to attend the race, and that visitors spent on average $1235 per person outside the grand prix.
How much does it cost the teams?
It’s difficult to know the exact cost of running an F1 team, but the sum is in the hundreds of millions.
Red Bull estimated in 2023 that each F1 vehicle costs between $19 million and $24 million to produce. The most expensive elements of this are the engine and transmission as well as the chassis.
Teams have a cost cap that they must adhere to throughout the season. According to FIA financial regulations, this is equivalent to $US135 million for a season with 21 races (with slight tweaks if the season is longer or shorter).
It takes millions of dollars to build an F1 car. Credit: Getty Images
The majority of team expenses from throughout the season must fall within this fund. Marketing activities and some other minor exceptions are not included in this total, along with driver salaries.
And Formula 1 drivers aren’t being paid in loose change. Verstappen was the highest paid last year, earning more than $118 million.
Right. And who funds the teams?
Sponsorship, investors and prize money are three of the main ways that F1 teams generate income.
Sponsors
There are almost too many company logos to count at an F1 event – with the cars, driver suits, racetrack boundaries and audience stands all heavily labelled.
This year, Williams were able to secure a new title sponsor in Atlassian, a multibillion-dollar software company founded by Australians Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar.
Software company Atlassian is the new title sponsor of the Williams F1 team.Credit: AP
It has been described as the “biggest partnership deal” in Williams’ 48-year history. The British racing team are the joint second-most successful team ever, but have recently struggled with sub-par results.
Investors
With F1 increasing in popularity and reach, there is no shortage of wealthy people looking to get involved.
Canadian businessman Lawrence Stroll owns the Aston Martin F1 Team, as well as being a part-owner of the Aston Martin company. His estimated net worth is over $6 billion.
Austrian billionaire Toto Wolff owns a third of the Mercedes F1 team, while also acting as CEO and team director.
Toto Wolff at the Melbourne Grand Prix in 2023.Credit: Eddie Jim
There has also been a recent increase in celebrity investment into the sport, with actors Ryan Reynolds and Michael B. Jordan, as well as NFL players Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes among those supporting the Alpine team.
Prizemoney
While the exact amount on offer isn’t known, the BBC estimates in 2024 that there was more than $1.5 billion awarded to teams – or around half of the F1’s commercial profits. The pool is mostly distributed according to standings in the constructors’ championship.
These funds are especially important for smaller teams like Haas, Alpine, and Kick Sauber. A strong season could mean millions of dollars of additional funding for the next season.
What about the celebrities?
Grand prix weekends have become known for their star-studded guest lists. From Kendall Jenner to Rowan Atkinson, Adele to Jared Leto, plenty of big stars take to the paddock.
Brad Pitt and girlfriend Ines de Ramon at the 2024 British Grand Prix.Credit: Getty Images
Guests at last year’s Australian race included the likes of actor Eric Bana, comedian Andy Lee, Australian Open boss Craig Tiley, radio host Jackie O, Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja and tennis player Dylan Alcott.
Keep an eye out for the Glamour on the Grid event on March 12, or for ex-driver Martin Brundle’s iconic grid walk on the day of the race to catch all the big names.
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correction
An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported that the estimated crowd at last year’s Australian Grand Prix was $425,055. In fact, the crowd estimate for the four-day event in 2024, which was provided by the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, was $452,055.