The FIA Formula 1 World Championship has officially arrived down under with this year’s edition of the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix to be one of the biggest in recent years.
Another record crowd is expected to attend Albert Park in Melbourne over the next four days for the highly anticipated event, which serves as the third round of the world’s premiere motorsport championship.
Likewise, a loyal band of Motorsport Australia Officials will also be on hand to ensure the event runs successfully, with approximately 1000 volunteers working tirelessly throughout the event.
On track, for the first time in more than a decade, Australian fans will have plenty to cheer for with two Australian-born drivers representing the nation on home soil for the first time in more than a decade.
Flying the Australian flag will be McLaren young gun Oscar Piastri and seasoned veteran Daniel Ricciardo, with both drivers having contrasting starts to the 2024 season.
In just his second season, Piastri has had a brilliant opening two races and currently sits fifth on the standings having picked up a solid haul of points in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
Ricciardo on the other hand, has had a challenging start to 2024 having been unable to score any points with Visa Cash App RB F1 team, with his best result of P13 coming in the opening round.
Both drivers will want to produce a big weekend in front of their home crowd, with the race taking place on Sunday at 3pm AEDT, two hours after the popular Drivers’ Parade.
In the lead up to Sunday’s feature race, fans will have multiple opportunities to watch Formula 1 in action, starting with Friday’s two practice sessions to run at 12:30pm and 4:00pm AEDT.
On Saturday, the F1 field will get its third and final practice session at 12:30pm before the one-hour Qualifying takes place at 4:00pm local time, setting the grid for Sunday.
View the full schedule.
In addition to the main event, there will once again be a bumper support card, led by the FIA Formula 2 and Formula 3 Championships, which hold their second rounds of the season, with Australians Christian Mansell and Tommy Smith once again entered in F3.
Joining the two Formula 1 development championships will be the Repco Supercars Championship and the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship, the latter of which holds its season opener in Melbourne.
Outside of the track action, there will be lots for attending fans to enjoy around the circuit, including the Melbourne Walk and the Live Fast Festival, where a collection of Motorsport Australia-affiliated car clubs will have their cars on display for the general public to admire.
Motorsport Australia will also have a stand in the Innovation Hub, with a Formula 4 car on display as well as top-spec simulators for fans to use.
The Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix 2024 takes place at Albert Park on 21-24 March.
2024 Formula 1 World Championship Grid
Oracle Red Bull Racing
1 - Max Verstappen
33 - Sergio Perez
Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team
44 - Lewis Hamilton
77 - George Russell
Scuderia Ferrari
5 - Carlos Sainz*
16 - Charles Leclerc
McLaren F1 Team
4 - Lando Norris
81 - Oscar Piastri
Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team
14 - Fernando Alonso
18 - Lance Stroll
BWT Alpine F1 Team
10 - Pierre Gasly
31 - Esteban Ocon
Williams Racing
2 - Logan Sargent
63 - Alex Albon
Visa Cash App RB F1 Team
22 - Yuki Tsunoda
3 - Daniel Ricciardo
Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber
7 - Valtteri Bottas
99 - Zhou Guanyu
MoneyGram Haas F1 Team
20 - Kevin Magnussen
27 - Niko Hulkenburg
*Carlos Sainz is expected to race this weekend, however may be a late withdrawal should he not be fully recovered from undergoing emergency appendicitis surgery during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. His replacement, Oliver Bearman is likely to compete again should the Spaniard be unavailable.