Australia to hold 2025 F1 season opener instead of Bahrain

SYDENY: The 2025 Australian Grand Prix will be the Formula One season-opener for the first time in six years instead of Bahrain after the sport’s governing body (FIA) released next year’s calendar on Friday.

The 24-race season will commence on March 16 in Melbourne and end on Dec. 7 in Abu Dhabi as Formula One celebrates the 75th anniversary of its world championship.

The Bahrain Grand Prix has been the opening race of the season since 2021 while the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has been the second race on the calendar since 2022.

Formula One did not race at Melbourne’s Albert Park Circuit in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but will now host the opening race instead of the Middle Eastern kingdom due to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan falling in March next year.

The first European race will take place in Imola in May as part of a triple header which also includes Monaco and Spain in back-to-back weekends.

“We’re grateful to the FIA, our promoters, host city partners, and all the related ASNs for their commitment and support in delivering this schedule and securing what promises to be another fantastic year for Formula 1,” Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, said in a statement.

“I would also like to pay tribute to our F1 teams and drivers, the heroes of our sport, and our fans around the world for continuing to follow Formula 1 with such incredible enthusiasm.”

The testing schedule and the sprint calendar are set to be announced at a later date. The current season has sprints at six Grands Prix -- China, Miami, Austria, United States (Austin), Brazil and Qatar.