Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix
- What: race No.1 on the 2019 F1 calendar
- When: 15-17 March
- Where: Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia
- Race start time: 5.10am on Sunday 17 March (UK time)
- TV channels: live on Sky Sports F1 and highlights on Channel 4
Hamilton and team-mate Valtteri Bottas secured a one-two for Mercedes with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen third and fourth respectively.
Five-time world champion Hamilton told F1.com: “Everyone was not expecting to see the performance difference we have seen here.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“[On Friday] Ferrari were with us. We were heavy on fuel, and then when we dropped fuel we were on par in terms of performance. Then all of a sudden, they lost some performance this morning, which is not what I was expecting.
“It’s a difficult circuit and it’s dusty, it could be a number of things [why they were slower]. I’m grateful for where our car is and I know Ferrari will be pushing hard and progressing in the coming days.”
Despite finishing third in qualifying Vettel is confident that Ferrari can win the Australian GP on Sunday (5.10am start UK time). Ferrari impressed in pre-season testing and Vettel was last year’s winner in Melbourne.
The German driver said: “Of course, I think we can [win]. You never know what’s happening. Last year we got a bit lucky but the race is over when there’s the chequered flag. I think we have a good car, we have a good race car and we are in good form.
“Obviously Mercedes are the clear favourites after the result today and the pace they have shown so far. But we are here to race. Otherwise it would be quite dull. I think all the people would agree.
“We’ll see what happens tomorrow. Tomorrow is a new day. We’ve done it before, around here especially, so, we’ll see. Our starts are pretty handy, so we’ll go from there.”
F1 Australian GP race guide
- Circuit: Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Albert Park, Melbourne
- First grand prix: 1996
- Number of laps: 58
- Circuit length: 5.303km
- Race distance: 307.574km
- Lap record: 1:24.125 by Michael Schumacher in 2004
- 2018 podium: 1st Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari); 2nd Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes); 3rd Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari)
When are the practice sessions?
There are three full practice (FP) sessions in Australia. FP1 takes place at 1am and FP2 takes place at 5am on Friday 15 March. FP3 takes place at 3am on Saturday 16 March. All times UK.
When is qualifying?
The Australian GP qualifying session starts at 6am on Saturday 16 March.
What time does the race start?
The 2019 Australian GP begins at 5.10am (UK time) on Sunday 17 March.
Australian GP TV guide
Sky Sports will show live coverage of practice, qualifying and the race. Sky’s coverage from Melbourne will be simulcast on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event. Channel 4 will show highlights of qualifying and the race. All times UK.
F1 fans can also watch the action live on Now TV. Viewers can subscribe to a Sky Sports F1 season ticket via Now TV for all 21 race weekends. A one-off payment costs £195 - the equivalent of £5 per week.
Australian GP on Sky Sports F1 Sunday 17 March
- 3.30am: Pitlane Live
- 4.15am: On The Grid live
- 5.10am: Australian Grand Prix live (simulcast on Sky Sports F1, Sky Sports Main Event and Sky One)
- 7am: Paddock Live
- 8am: full race replay
- 11.35am: full race replay
Australian GP on Channel 4
- Saturday 16 March: qualifying highlights at 12pm
- Sunday 17 March: race highlights at 2.30pm
Australian GP betting odds
All prices according to Oddschecker (as of 16 March).
To win in Melbourne
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes): 1/2
- Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari): 11/2
- Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes): 6/1
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull): 12/1
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): 20/1
-
The app tackling porn addictionUnder the Radar Blending behavioural science with cutting-edge technology, Quittr is part of a growing abstinence movement among men focused on self-improvement
-
Magazine solutions - August 29, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 29, 2025
-
Magazine printables - August 29, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 29, 2025
-
Christian Horner and the Red Bull saga that refuses to go awayIn the Spotlight 'Too dizzy-making' even for the 'merry-go-round world of F1'
-
Max Verstappen: F1’s record-breaking world championIn the Spotlight Red Bull star has surpassed records set by Schumacher, Vettel and Hamilton
-
F1 ‘silly season’ hits top speed as 2023 grid takes shapeUnder the Radar Twitter explodes with news of driver moves, denials and rumours
-
Lewis Hamilton on his F1 future: ‘I have plenty of fuel in the tank’Under the Radar Seven-time world champion finished second on his 300th grand prix start
-
F1: a bumpy start to the season for Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton and George RussellUnder the Radar Only four races in and Mercedes already look off the pace
-
F1 Bahrain GP reactions: Ferrari ‘back with a bang’ as Leclerc ‘tames the beast’feature The Tifosi celebrate a stunning one-two for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz
-
F1 2022 season guide: race calendar, championship standings and 2023 gridfeature Max Verstappen has now won 14 of this season’s 20 grands prix
-
Lewis Hamilton’s future: could he retire from F1?In the Spotlight It remains ‘unclear’ if the seven-time world champion will be on the grid in 2022
