It is finally race week. Here are the events happening this weekend at the first race of 2026
The Race
The main events of the weekend are the F1 events, especially since they are the first real look fans will get of the new cars. The weekend starts on Friday technically, but for US viewers the times are a little off.
The first event is Free Practice One at 8:30 pm EST on Thursday, followed by Free Practice Two at 12:00 am EST. Next is Free Practice Three, which will take place at 8:30 pm EST on Friday, followed by Qualifying at 12:00 am EST. Finally, the race will take place at 11:00 pm EST on Saturday.
F1 racing has events for all three days of the weekend, but they aren’t the only racing series running at the Australian Grand Prix. F2 and F3 will also see their season start at Albert Park on Friday. Both series will have their practice and qualifying on Friday, sprint race on Saturday, and feature race on Sunday.
Supercars Championship and Porsche Carrera Cup will also be racing starting on Thursday. Both have multiple qualifying events for their races throughout the weekend. Supercars will have 4 races with their final race on Sunday, while Porsche has 3 races with their final race on Saturday.
Things to do at the track
There is always something for fans to do in person at the track. In Australia, there will be nightly concerts Thursday through Sunday. Mallrat and LOGIC1000 will be performing on Thursday, Basement Jaxx and Dameeeela on Friday, Rita Ora and Rouge Traders on Saturday, and Duke Dumont and Shouse on Sunday
There is also the F1 Fanzone with all kinds of things to do, including F1 SimRacing, designing your own helmet and racecar, and an F1 pitstop challenge. There are also numerous photo ops like the driver selfie, selfie with the championship trophy, and podium and showcar spots.
Sponsored events throughout the weekend
Along with everything happening at the track, there are also events happening all over Melbourne that are team, driver, or F1 sponsored. There is the F1 Fan Festival, the F1 Fanzone, F1: The Exhibition, and the Crown Melbourne Formula Fun, as well as a Williams Fanzone and Red Bull Fanzone.
There are also pop-ups like the McLaren x Puma pop-up, the Quadlock x OP pop-up store (Oscar Piastri’s brand), and the Enchante pop-up (Daniel Ricciardo’s brand). Also, there are parties sponsored by Jack Daniels, Revolut, and McLaren.
There is definitely plenty to watch out for, for both fans at the track and fans watching at home.