Australia to host first race of 2025 Formula One season

The 2025 Australian Grand Prix will be the Formula One season-opener for the first time in six years instead of Bahrain after the sport's governing body (FIA) released next year's calendar on Friday.

The 24-race season will start on March 16 in Melbourne and end on December 7 in Abu Dhabi as Formula One celebrates the 75th anniversary of its world championship.

The Bahrain Grand Prix has been the opening race of the season since 2021 while the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has been the second race on the calendar since 2022.

Formula One did not race at Melbourne's Albert Park Circuit in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic but will now host the opening race instead of the Middle East kingdom due to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan falling in March next year.

The first European race will take place in Imola in May as part of a triple-header which also includes Monaco and Spain in back-to-back weekends.

“We're grateful to the FIA, our promoters, host city partners and the related national sporting authorities for their commitment and support in delivering this schedule and securing what promises to be another fantastic year for Formula One,” FI president and CEO Stefano Domenicali said.

“I also pay tribute to our F1 teams and drivers, the heroes of our sport and our fans around the world for continuing to follow Formula One with incredible enthusiasm.”

The testing schedule and sprint calendar are to be announced later.

The current season has sprints at six Grands Prix — China, Miami, Austria, US (Austin), Brazil and Qatar.

FORMULA ONE 2025 CALENDAR

• March 14-16: Australian Grand Prix — Melbourne;
• March 21-23: Chinese Grand Prix — Shanghai;
• April 4-6: Japanese Grand Prix — Suzuka;
• April 11-13: Bahrain Grand Prix — Sakhir;
• April 18-20: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix — Jeddah;
• May 2-4: Miami Grand Prix — Florida;
• May 16-18: Emilia Romagna — Imola;
• May 23-25: Monaco Grand Prix — Monaco;
• May 30 — June 1: Spanish Grand Prix — Barcelona;
• June 13-15: Canadian Grand Prix — Montreal;
• June 27-29: Austrian Grand Prix — Spielberg;
• July 4-6: Britigh Grand Prix — Silverstone;
• July 25-27: Belgian Grand Prix — Spa;
• August 1-3: Hungarian Grand Prix — Budapest;
• August 29-31: Dutch Grand Prix — Zandvoort;
• September 5-7: Italian Grand Prix — Monza;
• September 19-21: Azerbaijan Grand Prix — Baku;
• October 3-5: Singapore Grand Prix — Singapore;
• October 17-19: US Grand Prix — Austin;
• October 24-26: Mexican Grand Prix — Mexico City;
• November 7-9: Brazil Grand Prix — Sao Paulo;
• November 20-22: Las Vegas Grand Prix — Las Vegas;
• November 28-30: Qatar Grand Prix — Lusail; and
• December 5-7: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix — Yas Marina.