Eyes of the world are on Albert Park this Sunday
Phil Branagan
Saturday, 15 March 2025
Raceday beckons as Sunday is with us, for the Formula 1 World Championship opening day and the FORMULA 1 LOUIS VUITTON AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2025.
Of course, many of the 140,000 fans expected to fill the Albert Park Grand Prix circuit will be looking for a home win in the Grand Prix. The last Australian driver to take his home event was Alan Jones, who added the non-championship event at Calder to his list of wins in 1980, which included becoming Australia’s second World Champion.
So if Oscar Piastri can climb onto the podium's top step from the second place on the grid, he will rewrite a 45-year protocol that has, mostly, stood the test of time. Can he do it? We’ll know after the 58-lap race, which is due to start at 3:00 pm.
Advertisement
There’s much to see before that. The F3™ kicks off the on-track action at 9:00 am, the stars of the future facing 23 laps around the Grand Prix circuit in their Feature race.
The fourth and final MSS Security Melbourne SuperSprint Supercars race will be over 14 laps, starting at 10:20 pm. Just as in the three previous races over the weekend, Triple 8’s Broc Feeney will start from pole position with rising stars (and fellow Chevrolet drivers) Cam Hill (Matt Stone Racing) and Cooper Murray (Erebus Motorsport) close behind.
New points leader Will Brown will start from near the back of the grid after a tough Qualifying session, so can Ford’s Cameron Waters fight back and return to his winning ways?
Look to the skies straight after the race for the RAAF Aerial Display, then it’s time for the F2™ Feature Race. It’s over 33 laps, there will be pitstops and with half the entries featuring rookie drivers, it would be a brave bet to say who might come out on top.
The Formula 1® Drivers’ Parade at 1:30 p.m. will allow fans to see their heroes up close before the teams prepare for the all-important opening round of the Formula 1 World Championship.