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F1 Australian Prix – Start time, starting grid, how to watch, & more

Verstappen took pole position with a last-gasp 1m15.915s effort, bettering a still-recovering Carlos Sainz by 0.170 seconds.

Sergio Perez will start from sixth after being handed a three-place penalty for impeding,  promoting Lando Norris, the highest-placed McLaren driver, to third. 

Charles Leclerc had been the pacesetter in the early stages of the weekend but an error on his final lap scuppered his chances to start from the front, leaving him fourth. He will be joined on the third row by Oscar Piastri.

While George Russell qualified seventh, his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton struggled for pace and bowed out in Q2, setting the 11th-fastest time after a late improvement from Yuki Tsunoda - who will start in eighth - bumped him out of the top 10.

When is the F1 Australian Grand Prix?

  • Date: Sunday 24 March 2024
  • Start time: 3pm local time/4am GMT

The third round of the 2024 F1 season, the Australian GP, gets under way at 3pm local time on Sunday 24 March.

How can I watch Formula 1?

In the United Kingdom, Formula 1 is broadcast live on Sky Sports, with highlights shown on Channel 4 several hours after the race has finished. Live streaming through NOW is also available in the UK.

Sky Sports F1, which broadcasts the F1 races, can be added as part of the Sky Sports channels and costs £18 a month for new customers. Sky Sports can also be accessed through NOW with a one-off day payment of £11.99 or a monthly membership of £34.99 per month.

How can I watch the F1 Australian GP?

In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports will be live broadcasting the Australian GP.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24 (Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images)

The race will be shown live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event, with pre-race coverage starting at 3:00am GMT, ahead of the race start at 4:00am GMT.

  • Channels: Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event
  • Start time: 3:00am GMT, Sunday 24 March 2024

Autosport will be running a live text coverage of the Australian GP here.

When can I watch the F1 Australian GP highlights?

In the United Kingdom, Channel 4 is broadcasting highlights of the Australian GP at 12:30pm GMT on Sunday. The full programme will run for two and a half hours, covering the pre-race, the race highlights and the initial post-race reaction to wrap up the major talking points of the race weekend.

For the entire 2024 F1 season, Channel 4 will broadcast highlights of every qualifying and race of each event. The highlights will also be available on Channel 4’s on-demand catch-up services.

  • Channel: Channel 4
  • Start time: 12:30pm GMT, Sunday 24 March 2024

Will the F1 Australian GP be on the radio?

Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2024 F1 season will be available on the BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra stations, the BBC Sounds app and via the BBC Sport website.

Live coverage of the Australian GP will start at 4:00am GMT on BBC 5 Live and on the BBC Sounds app.

Weather forecast for the F1 Australian GP

Current weather forecasts predict cloudy, dry and mild conditions in Melbourne, with moderate winds and a low chance of rain. The temperature is expected to be 20 degrees Celsius for the start of the race.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38 (Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images)

How many laps is the F1 Australian GP?

The race is scheduled to complete 58 laps of the Albert Park circuit, covering a total race distance of 306.124km.

F1 Australian GP starting grid

   
1
 - 
3
   
   
1
 - 
2
   
Cla Driver # Chassis Engine Time km/h
1 Netherlands M. Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1 Red Bull Red Bull

1'15.915

250.290
2 Spain C. Sainz Ferrari 55 Ferrari Ferrari

+0.270

1'16.185

249.403
3 United Kingdom L. Norris McLaren 4 McLaren Mercedes

+0.400

1'16.315

248.978
4 Monaco C. Leclerc Ferrari 16 Ferrari Ferrari

+0.520

1'16.435

248.587
5 Australia O. Piastri McLaren 81 McLaren Mercedes

+0.657

1'16.572

248.142
6 Mexico S. Perez Red Bull Racing 11 Red Bull Red Bull

+0.359

1'16.274

249.112
7 United Kingdom G. Russell Mercedes 63 Mercedes Mercedes

+0.809

1'16.724

247.651
8 Japan Y. Tsunoda RB 22 RB Red Bull

+0.873

1'16.788

247.444
9 Canada L. Stroll Aston Martin Racing 18 Aston Martin Mercedes

+1.157

1'17.072

246.533
10 Spain F. Alonso Aston Martin Racing 14 Aston Martin Mercedes

+1.637

1'17.552

245.007
11 United Kingdom L. Hamilton Mercedes 44 Mercedes Mercedes

+1.045

1'16.960

246.891
12 Thailand A. Albon Williams 23 Williams Mercedes

+1.252

1'17.167

246.229
13 Finland V. Bottas Sauber 77 Sauber Ferrari

+1.425

1'17.340

245.678
14 Denmark K. Magnussen Haas F1 Team 20 Haas Ferrari

+1.512

1'17.427

245.402
15 France E. Ocon Alpine 31 Alpine Renault

+1.782

1'17.697

244.549
16 Germany N. Hulkenberg Haas F1 Team 27 Haas Ferrari

+2.061

1'17.976

243.674
17 France P. Gasly Alpine 10 Alpine Renault

+2.067

1'17.982

243.656
18 Australia D. Ricciardo RB 3 RB Red Bull

+2.170

1'18.085

243.334
19 China Z. Guanyu Sauber 24 Sauber Ferrari

+2.273

1'18.188

243.014
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