MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) 鈥 Here is a guide that tells you everything you need to know about Sunday鈥檚 Australian Grand Prix 鈥 the year鈥檚 first Formula 1 race.
How to watch the Australian Grand Prix on TV
鈥 In the U.S., ESPN.
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Where is the Australian Grand Prix taking place?
The 5.2-kilometer (3.2-mile) Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit is laid out around a lake in Melbourne's inner suburbs and uses roads which are open to the public for the remainder of the year. It's a relatively fast track but overtaking is often difficult. This will be the first time since 2019 that Australia hosts the season-opening race. The two hours before the scheduled season-opening racing weekend because of the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the lowlights of Max Verstappen鈥檚 2024 world championship season was at Melbourne Park, where he with a fiery mechanical failure.
What do I need to know about F1 and the Australian Grand Prix?
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Key stats at Albert Park
5 鈥 Verstappen is targeting a fifth world title in a row. Only three other drivers 鈥 including Lewis Hamilton 鈥 have won five titles. Of those, only Michael Schumacher won five consecutively.
8 鈥 Hamilton is aiming to win a record-breaking eighth title after joining his new team, Ferrari.
24 - The Australian Grand Prix kicks off a 24-race schedule, matching the record set last year for the longest F1 season.
Norris takes pole after Saturday qualifying, Hamilton 8th
Lewis Hamilton qualified eighth-fastest in his Ferrari debut as McLaren鈥檚 Lando Norris claimed pole position. Norris went into the third session of final qualifying on the back foot after his first lap was deleted for track limit infringements at turn four, where he had all four wheels off the track. Norris鈥 teammate and Melbourne-born Oscar Piastri was second, enabling McLaren to lock out the front row for the second straight race, following 2024鈥檚 season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Red Bull鈥檚 Max Verstappen, the defending world champion, claimed third, shrugging off pre-season pace concerns for the team about its RB21 car.
What was said after the qualifying session?
"It isn鈥檛 quite where we wanted to be but overall I鈥檓 satisfied with the progress we have made over the past two days ... but given this is a weekend of firsts for me, I didn鈥檛 underestimate how steep the learning curve would be鈥 鈥 Hamilton on qualifying eighth.
"Not a bad way to start the year, thanks everyone鈥 鈥 Norris on his team radio shortly after the qualifying session ended.
鈥淧retty happy. It鈥檚 obviously great to start the year on the front row 鈥 only one position back from what I would鈥檝e liked." 鈥 Piastri.
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