F1 reveals new venue for first race as 2025 calendar announced

Formula 1 has agreed the 2025 schedule with the FIA and the opening race will not be in Bahrain next year

Australia will host the opening race of the Formula 1 season next year as the 2025 schedule was announced on Friday – with no new races once again on the calendar.

It means Lewis Hamilton will debut for Ferrari at Albert Park in Melbourne, which last hosted the first race in 2019 after Covid put paid to the 2020 opener. Australia will stage the first race of the season on Sunday 16 March - two weeks later than this year’s start date.

Bahrain has hosted the first race of the season since 2021, following on from pre-season testing at the same track in Lusail, but has moved to April due to Ramadan.

Saudi has also moved to April, with China and Japan being shifted forward a month to races two and three respectively. The 24-race season will finish in Abu Dhabi on 7 December.

The 2025 British Grand Prix takes place on 4-6 July at Silverstone.

The venues for pre-season testing and the sprint races are yet to be confirmed.

For the second year running, there will be no new races on the schedule. 2026 is set to be different, though, with Madrid already confirmed as the new home of the Spanish Grand Prix, meaning 2025 could be the last year Barcelona hosts an F1 race.

Albert Park in Melbourne will host the first race of the 2025 F1 season (Getty Images)

Other calendar alterations include a triple-header in April between Japan-Bahrain-Saudi, while Spain has moved forward three weeks to the end of May/start of June.

Belgium and Hungary have swapped weekends too, with Budapest now hosting the final race before the customary summer break.

This year sees a four-week gap in autumn but there will be no such space in the calendar next year, with just one week’s rest in-between Singapore and Austin in October.

2025 F1 CALENDAR IN FULL:

ROUND 1 - AUSTRALIA

Albert Park, Melbourne - 14-16 March

ROUND 2 - CHINA

Shanghai International Circuit - 21-23 March

ROUND 3 - JAPAN

Suzuka International Racing Course - 4-6 April

ROUND 4 —BAHRAIN

Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir - 11-13 April

ROUND 5 - SAUDI ARABIA

Jeddah Corniche Circuit - 18-20 April

ROUND 6 - MIAMI

Miami International Autodrome, Hard Rock Stadium - 2-4 May

ROUND 7 - EMILIA ROMAGNA

Imola Circuit - 16-18 May

ROUND 8 - MONACO

Circuit de Monaco - 23-25 May

ROUND 9 - SPAIN

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya - 30 May-1 June

ROUND 10 - CANADA

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal - 13-15 June

ROUND 11 - AUSTRIA

Red Bull Ring, Spielberg - 27-29 June

ROUND 12 - GREAT BRITAIN

Silverstone Circuit - 4-6 July

ROUND 13 - BELGIUM

Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps - 25-27 July

ROUND 14 - HUNGARY

Hungaroring, Budapest - 1-3 August

ROUND 15 - NETHERLANDS

Circuit Zandvoort - 29-31 August

ROUND 16 - ITALY

Monza Circuit - 5-7 September

ROUND 17 - AZERBAIJAN

Baku City Circuit - 19-21 September

ROUND 18 - SINGAPORE

Marina Bay Street Circuit - 3-5 October

ROUND 19 - UNITED STATES

Circuit of the Americas, Austin - 17-19 October

ROUND 20 - MEXICO

Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City - 24-26 October

ROUND 21 - BRAZIL

Interlagos Circuit, Sao Paulo - 7-9 November

ROUND 22 - LAS VEGAS

Las Vegas Street Circuit - 20-22 November

ROUND 23 - QATAR

Lusail International Circuit, Lusail - 28-30 November

ROUND 24 - ABU DHABI

Yas Marina Circuit - 5-7 December