Breaking news

Formula 1

Date set for 2020 F1 season opener

The 2020 Formula 1 season will kick off at Albert Park in Melbourne on March 15, it's been confirmed.

Andrew van Leeuwen

Andrew van Leeuwen

Edited: Jul 6, 2019, 9:15 AM

Copy link

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share on WhatsApp

Share on Linkedin

Share on Pinterest

Share on Viber

Add as a preferred source

The lights go out and Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1 W10, leads Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes AMG W10, Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari SF90, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB15, and the rest of the field away at the start

The Australian Grand Prix has retained its spot as the season opener, the four-day event set to kick off on Thursday March 12, with the first F1 track action on the Friday.

The date means the event once again nestles in between the Labour Day long weekend and the first round of the Australian Football League season.

The 2020 Albert Park race will be a double milestone as well, marking both the 25th anniversary of the Australian GP moving from Adelaide to Melbourne, as well as kick-starting F1's 70th anniversary celebrations.

“We are pleased to announce that, as has been the case for many years now, the next FIA Formula 1 World Championship season will get underway in Melbourne," said F1 chairman and CEO Chase Carey. 

"The Albert Park circuit is one of the most popular venues on the calendar, much appreciated by everyone who works in Formula 1. The enthusiastic reception from the Australian fans makes this round really unique and special. 

"There can be no better place to start the 2020 season, which will be significant as the sport will celebrate its 70th anniversary. 

"We are also pleased that Rolex, who have been one of our Global Partners for many years, will continue to be the title sponsor of the 2020 Australian Grand Prix.”

Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO Andrew Westacott added: “Hosting Melbourne’s 25th Formula 1 race conjures excitement and interest, and as they said back in 1996, ‘Melbourne – what a great place for the race!’ 

"We’ve got the largest on-track programme of any Formula 1 event in the world and combined with the amount and quality of off- track entertainment, there’s something for all and it’s an event that simply must be experienced."

The announcement also means the first two rounds of the 2020 Supercars season are locked in, with a late February slot of the Adelaide 500 already confirmed.

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?

Take our 5 minute survey.

- The Motorsport.com Team

Read and post comments

Read also :

Share Or Save This Story

Copy link

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share on WhatsApp

Share on Linkedin

Share on Pinterest

Share on Viber

Previous article Raikkonen: Drivers have skewed memories of older F1 cars

Next article Racing Point struggles a "legacy" of Force India crisis

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

View More & Comment

More from

Andrew van Leeuwen



Toby Price explains 'unfortunate' Mitsubishi split

Dakar

Dakar

Dakar

Toby Price explains 'unfortunate' Mitsubishi split



Supercars parity review begins

Supercars

Supercars

Supercars parity review begins



SRO set for bigger Australian GT presence

GT World Challenge Australia

GT World Challenge Australia

SRO set for bigger Australian GT presence

Latest news



Alex Bowman hits out at critics in snarky post, shooting down early exit rumors

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup

Homestead-Miami

7 h

Alex Bowman hits out at critics in snarky post, shooting down early exit rumors



Ryan Blaney gets sweet redemption after 'nightmares' following 2024 Homestead loss

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup

Homestead-Miami

8 h

Ryan Blaney gets sweet redemption after 'nightmares' following 2024 Homestead loss



IndyCar 2026 season review: Dale Coyne Racing

IndyCar

Indy IndyCar 8 h

IndyCar 2026 season review: Dale Coyne Racing



Noah Gragson apologizes to Daniel Suarez for spinning him at Homestead

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup

Homestead-Miami

8 h

Noah Gragson apologizes to Daniel Suarez for spinning him at Homestead

Feature

Discover prime content



How Formula 1 proved the naysayers wrong – for once

Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

By Stuart Codling

How Formula 1 proved the naysayers wrong – for once



How Lando Norris prevailed in a swift errors tour of Interlagos

Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

By Stuart Codling

How Lando Norris prevailed in a swift errors tour of Interlagos



"He really wanted it" – why Russell was furious over aborted Brazil ‘pole’ lap

Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

By Stuart Codling

"He really wanted it" – why Russell was furious over aborted Brazil ‘pole’ lap



What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 Brazilian GP

Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

By Jake Boxall-Legge

What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 Brazilian GP

Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.

From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.

You have 2 options:

Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here

Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page

Manage Alerts

Subscribe