Official: F1 2025 calendar announced with major change to start Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari era

Oliver Harden 12 Apr 2024 12:00 PM

The F1 2025 calendar has been announced - with a new curtain raiser on the way

Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari career will officially begin in Melbourne after the Australian Grand Prix was confirmed as the opening round of a joint-record 24-race F1 2025 calendar.

The Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne regularly staged F1’s curtain raiser between 1996 and 2019, before the race was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

Australian Grand Prix to host first race of F1 2025 calendar

The Bahrain Grand Prix has held the first race of a new season for the last four years, with Australia hosting the third round since its return to the calendar in 2022.

In a significant change to the schedule, however, it has been confirmed that Australia will return to its traditional season-opening spot, with the race set to kick off the 2025 season on March 16 – two weeks later than the beginning of the 2024 campaign.

Australia will be the first round of a double header to start the new season, with the Chinese Grand Prix held seven days later on March 23.

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The Islamic festival of Ramadan has been cited as the reason for the move to return Australia to the season-opening slot, with the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix pushed back to rounds four and five after being held on Saturdays in a unique arrangement for 2024.

Like 2024, the 2025 campaign will conclude with a grueling triple header comprising of the Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi grands prix, with the season finale to be held on December 7.

It means Melbourne will be the first chance to see Lewis Hamilton race for Ferrari after the seven-time World Champion announced earlier this year that he will join the Scuderia on a multi-year contract from 2025.

A 24-race schedule will see 2025 equal 2024 as the busiest season in F1 history, with no new circuits added to the calendar for next year.

The exact number of sprint races for 2025, as well as the venues where the alternative race weekend format will be held, is to be confirmed at a later date.

Stefano Domenicali, the president and chief executive of Formula 1, said: “2025 will be a special year as we celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the FIA Formula One World Championship, and it’s that legacy and experience that allows us to deliver such a strong calendar.

“Once again, we’ll visit 24 incredible venues around the world, delivering top class racing, hospitality, and entertainment, which will be enjoyed by millions of fans worldwide.

“We’re grateful to the FIA, our promoters, host city partners, and all the related ASNs for their commitment and support in delivering this schedule and securing what promises to be another fantastic year for Formula 1.

“I would also like to pay tribute to our F1 teams and drivers, the heroes of our sport, and our fans around the world for continuing to follow Formula 1 with such incredible enthusiasm.”

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem added: “The 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar, approved by the World Motor Sport Council, is a further illustration of our collective mission of meeting sustainability objectives through the regionalisation of events.

“While our focus is on the overall stability of Formula 1, we also have a shared duty to the environment and to the health and well-being of travelling staff.

“Formula One Management, under the direction of Stefano Domenicali, have produced a calendar which strikes a good blend of traditional circuits and modern venues.

“We thank the host ASNs, the local organisers and the many thousands of FIA volunteers for their tireless efforts in making Formula 1 a truly global, mass audience spectacle as we prepare to celebrate the sport’s 75th year.”