Following the blockbuster Saudi Arabian Prix, the Formula 1 teams will take on another race circuit at the Australian GP 2024. The F1 drivers will first lap-log around the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit to test out their 2024 racing machines before the final showdown.
With the Australian GP 2024 just around the corner, here are the A-to-Zs of the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit and the on-track schedules for the racing festival.
Details of Melbourne Circuit explained for Australian GP 2024
The 2024 Australian GP, which is the third race fixture of the current 24-race F1 calendar, is scheduled to take place at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit. Built in 1993, this racetrack has been the home ground of the Australian GP since 1996, with the exception of the 2020 and 2021 sessions, which were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit is constructed around the city’s Alberta Park, mostly using the existing roads—mainly the Aughtie and Lakeside driveways—with a roundabout route through the Lakeside Stadium’s car park. It is one of the longest F1 racetracks, with a circuit length of 5.303 km and a total of 58 laps, which spans the total racing distance to 307.574 km.
This circuit is also regarded as one of the fastest racetracks in Formula 1, with a highest-ever recorded speed of 235 km/h, which was set by 7x World Champion Lewis Hamilton back in 2018. As for the fastest lap record, Michael Schumacher holds the feat with a lap time of 1 minute, 24.125 seconds.
| Circuit Length | 5.303 km |
| Number of Laps | 58 |
| Race Distance | 307.574 km |
| First Grand Prix | 1996 |
| Lap Record | 1:24.125, Michael Schumacher (2004) |
| Fastest Speed Record | 235 km/h, Lewis Hamilton (2018) |
The Grand Prix Circuit hosted its first Formula 1 race in 1996, just four months after the last race at Adelaide, and is mostly remembered for Martin Brundle’s notorious Jordan crash– something that is highly expected to be repeated by the current F1 rosters during their on-track maneuvers at the Australian GP.
What are Australian GP 2024 on-track schedules?
The Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit will host the Australian GP 2024 for a total of 3 days, starting from March 22 to March 24. The Formula 1 teams will run for the FP sessions and qualifying rounds between March 22nd and 23rd.
On March 22, the FP1 and FP2 sessions of the Australian GP will be held, scheduled to run between 21:30 and 22:30 (for FP1) and 01:00 and 02:00 (for FP2), based on the U.S. EDT time zone.
The FP3 session—the last practice session—will be held on March 23 between 21:30 and 22:30, before moving onto the qualifying session.
| DATE | EVENT | U.S. TIME (EDT) |
| 22nd March | Practice 1 | 21:30–22:30 |
| 22nd March | Practice 2 | 01:00–02:00 |
| 23rd March | Practice 3 | 21:30–22:30 |
| 23rd March | Qualifying | 01:00–02:00 |
| 24th March | Race | 12:00 AM / 00:00 |
The Formula 1 teams will run for the qualifying rounds on the same day, i.e., March 23rd, between 01:00 and 02:00, before going head-to-head on March 24th for the 2024 Australian GP’s final race at 12:00 AM.
Is the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit really one of the fastest racetracks in Formula 1? Will Max Verstappen finally be taken down at the Australian GP in 2024? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
