Motorsport · Formula 2 · 2026

Date & time

6 Mar 2026, 00:00

Round

1

Venue

Albert Park Circuit

Location

Melbourne, Australia

The 2026 FIA Formula 2 season officially kicks off at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne with the opening Free Practice session. This 45-minute window is the only time drivers will have to adapt their high-downforce machinery to the semi-permanent street track before the high-stakes qualifying session later in the day. For the 11 rookies on the grid, including high-profile names like Colton Herta and Ugo Ugochukwu, the focus is on building confidence through the high-speed Turn 9-10 chicane and understanding the evolving grip levels of the "green" Australian asphalt. Expect a busy session as teams work through various aerodynamic setups and gather data on the Medium Pirelli compound. The veterans, led by Gabriele Minì and Dino Beganovic, will likely set the early benchmarks, but the unpredictable nature of Albert Park—where track limits and dust can catch out even the most experienced drivers—means the leaderboard will likely shuffle until the final seconds.