2024 Australian Grand Prix

The 87th running of the Australian Grand Prix, held at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne across 22–24 March. This is the third round of the 2024 season and the 27th time the circuit hosts the event.

Championship standings

Max Verstappen leads the Drivers’ Championship with 51 points, 15 points ahead of his teammate Sergio Pérez in second, and 23 ahead of Charles Leclerc in third. Red Bull Racing leads the Constructors’ Championship with 87 points, separated from Ferrari by 38 points and McLaren by 59, in second and third respectively.

Previous race

At the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Verstappen extended his winning streak to start the season, with Pérez finishing second for the second consecutive race. Oliver Bearman made his Formula One debut for Ferrari, replacing Carlos Sainz Jr. who underwent appendix surgery after withdrawing from the weekend.

Entrants

Daniel Ricciardo of RB and Oscar Piastri of McLaren are the first pair of Australian drivers competing at their home Grand Prix since Ricciardo and Mark Webber in 2013. The drivers and teams are initially the same as the season entry list. However, Williams is unable to repair damage to Alexander Albon’s chassis following a crash during FP1, and he is swapped into Logan Sargeant’s car, with Sargeant missing the remainder of the Grand Prix weekend.

Milestones

The event sold out for the first time in its history, setting a new weekend attendance record of 452,055 — the most attended sporting event ever in Melbourne.

Safety changes

After the Australian Grand Prix Corporation was held responsible for safety breaches in the 2023 edition, spectators are banned from going on the track at any stage of the event, overruling a previous tradition that allowed patrons access after a race. Fines of more than A$17,000, eviction, and bans in future races can be imposed if fans enter the track.

Weather

Sunny conditions are expected for race day.

Tyre choices

Pirelli brings the C3, C4, and C5 tyre compounds — the softest three in their range — designated hard, medium, and soft respectively. The tyre compounds are one set softer than the previous edition of the race.

Practice

FP1 is topped by Lando Norris of McLaren ahead of Max Verstappen and George Russell. The session is red-flagged after Alexander Albon crashes at turn 6, forcing him to miss FP2. FP2 is topped by Charles Leclerc of Ferrari ahead of Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr. FP3 is again topped by Leclerc, ahead of Verstappen and Sainz.