On behalf of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC), it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2026 – the season opener for the FIA Formula One World Championship.

Each year, Melbourne is electrified by Formula 1®, as the most exciting motorsport talent descends on our city. We are proud to host this prestigious event and to welcome international guests and fans to our wonderful precinct.

We look forward to seeing Melburnian Oscar Piastri return to his home race, backed by a nation of proud supporters. Oscar's third place finish in the 2025 World Drivers' Championship, a remarkable result in just his third year on the grid, has sparked a heightened interest in Formula 1 racing across the country. We are eager to celebrate his successes again this year with an Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit grandstand named in his honour.

We also welcome back Australian F3® driver, James Wharton, driving for Prema Racing in the 2026 season. Australian drivers continue to make us proud on an international stage, and we look forward to continuing to support their careers.

As the opening race of the 2026 season, Australia will be the first to see eleven teams race under the new regulations. With lighter cars, changes to engine power and aerodynamics, and the introduction of 100% sustainable fuel, all eyes will be on Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit to see who will lead the new era.

Off the track, our precincts will deliver a suite of offerings tailored to every fan - from motorsport history and innovation to Melbourne’s best food and hospitality. This year, we have renewed our focus on fan experience, in particular the journey to and around the Circuit. The construction of a new overpass, upgraded pontoon bridge and the opening of ANZAC Station are all expected to greatly improve accessibility and patron flow around the event.

I would like to take a moment to thank every member of the AGPC team, our partners and suppliers for their dedication to delivering another incredible event. Each year, they manage to raise the bar - striving for excellence at every turn and orchestrating an incredible, tailored and thoughtful experience for everyone who joins us here at Albert Park. These efforts solidify Melbourne’s position as the major events capital of Australia.

To the Victorian Government, we thank you for your continued support of our event each year. Your ongoing commitment plays an essential role in its success.

And to our fans, I hope the next four days are nothing short of extraordinary, and I wish you a safe, enjoyable and unforgettable experience.

Hon Martin Pakula

Chair of the Board, Australian Grand Prix Corporation

On behalf of everyone at Motorsport Australia, welcome to the FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2026.

We welcome competitors, officials, volunteers, partners and fans from across Australia and around the world to Melbourne for one of Australia’s most celebrated events. This year marks 30 years of the Australian Grand Prix being held around Albert Park – that’s 30 years of success as one of the great races held on the international motorsport calendar.

Motorsport Australia is proud to play a vital role in delivering this iconic event, supported by around 1,000 dedicated and highly- skilled Motorsport Australia Officials and Volunteers, who work tirelessly to ensure the safety and enjoyment of competitors and spectators alike. If you see one of them, please feel free to pass on your thanks.

Motorsport in Australia is powered by more than 22,000 licenced members, over 540 affiliated clubs and more than 12,000 volunteer officials - representing one of the largest motorsport bases in the world.

If you’d like to be part of our team please visit motorsport. org.au to learn how you can be involved or visit us at the Motorsport Australia Innovation Hub in Pit Stop Park here at the circuit this weekend.

Our very own – and Melbourne’s own - Oscar Piastri lines up this year with a proven capacity to win and beat the best in the world. We wish him and all other Australians competing across the weekend the best as we showcase Australia on the global motorsport stage.

Enjoy the racing, the atmosphere and the community that makes motorsport in Australia awesome – and thank you for your support of our sport.

Andrew Fraser President,

Motorsport Australia

Welcome to the FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2026 for the first round of this year’s FIA Formula One World Championship™.

This incredible event draws record-breaking crowds, and showcases Melbourne and Victoria to audiences tuning in around the world.

This year promises to be even bigger, better, and more thrilling with four days of non-stop action. Melbourne’s own Oscar Piastri is back, and fans can cheer him on from the new grandstand named for the superstar along the main straight.

The action doesn’t stop at the track with live music, a family zone, upgraded facilities and a new Trackside Green precinct.

Beyond the Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit, there’s so much to see and do across our beautiful state. I hope you’ll have the chance to enjoy everything Melbourne and Victoria have to offer.

The Formula 1® Australian Grand Prix brings enormous economic benefit to our state, and my Government is proud to support it.

Thank you to the Australian Grand Prix Corporation and everyone who brings this spectacular event to life.

Enjoy every moment of the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, and your stay in Victoria.

Hon Jacinta Allan

MP Member for Bendigo East

Premier of Victoria

Dear race fans, It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2026, at the start of a new era for our sport in what promises to be another thrilling calendar of racing.

For over 75 years, Formula 1® has been at the forefront of technological innovation, safety development, and sporting excellence both on and off the track. Yet it is this season that represents a pivotal moment in the evolution of the FIA Formula One World Championship™.

The signing of the Concorde Agreement at the end of 2025, between the FIA, all eleven teams, and Formula 1, has secured the Championship’s future with stronger governance and collaboration to the end of the decade. While the FIA’s 2026 Regulations will create a new era of safer, more sustainable, and more competitive racing.

Cadillac’s entry as the eleventh team on the grid is also reflective of the increased competition defining the new season, reflective of the continued growth and global appeal of our sport. It is this spirit of progress that drives the Championship forward and will add to an already remarkable racing spectacle for fans.

Last year, we witnessed a close battle in the Drivers’ Championship that came down to the very final round. As we start the new season, I have every confidence we will witness more extraordinary performances, more pioneering innovations, and more of the unforgettable moments that make Formula 1 the pinnacle of global motorsport.

All that remains is for me to wish you an enjoyable weekend here at Albert Park and I look forward to sharing another exciting year of racing together.

Sincerely,

Mohammed Ben Sulayem

FIA President

Welcome to Melbourne for a very special FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2026, and the start of a fantastic new chapter for our sport.

With an incredible 30-year legacy, the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, Victoria always ignites such excitement and passion. Last year, the event returned to its traditional position as the season opener for the first time since 2019, setting the tone for the season ahead and welcoming a record 465,000 fans across the weekend.

This weekend, fans will welcome 11 teams and 22 drivers to the grid for the first time, and we’ll see the next generation of Formula 1 cars take to the track for their inaugural Grand Prix, with a new hybrid engine that runs on advanced sustainable fuels, and that puts the drivers in centre stage. These innovative regulations provide our teams with a challenge but also an incredible opportunity for Formula 1 to break new barriers. No one knows who will be on top and it promises us all thrilling racing throughout the season. I cannot wait to see who will rise to the challenge.

That’s not the only change, as we welcome Cadillac to the grid for their first season joined by the experienced drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. Audi also takes over Kick Sauber, Ford returns as a Technical Partner to Red Bull, Honda becomes Aston Martin’s power unit supplier, and Arvid Lindblad makes the move from F2 to F1 driving for Racing Bulls, so we can expect to see some fresh competition, cutting edge technology, and new storylines. I wish them all the very best in their journeys.

Returning to Australia is always a highlight for me personally and a favourite destination for the drivers and all the teams. Victoria has established itself as a hub for sport, culture, and entertainment, with Melbourne having hosted some of the biggest events in the world, most recently the Ashes and the Australian Open, as well as MotoGP racing at Phillip Island, and we always receive a warm welcome. The fans are among the most passionate in the world and I know they’ll once again give their full support to hometown hero and incredible talent Oscar Piastri who will be fully focussed and motivated for the Championship this year.

I’d like to thank Travis Auld, CEO of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, Martin Pakula, Chairman of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation and their brilliant team for creating such a fantastic event. I would also like to express my gratitude to the Victorian Government, particularly Steve Dimopoulos, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, and Jacinta Allan, Premier of Victoria, for their tireless support towards the Grand Prix. And, of course, none of this would be possible without the FIA, the F1 Teams, drivers, marshals, volunteers, and our brilliant fans in Australia.

I look forward to celebrating the start of this landmark season with you all and marking another proud moment in the history of our sport.

Avanti Tutta,

Stefano Domenicali

President & CEO, Formula 1