Melbourne: The 2025 Australian Grand Prix will be the Formula One season-opener for the first time in six years instead of the Gulf region after the governing body (FIA) released next year's calendar on Friday.
The season will commence on March 16 in Melbourne and end on Dec. 7 in Abu Dhabi.
The Bahrain Grand Prix has been the opening race of the season since 2021 while the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has been the second race on the calendar since 2022.
Formula One did not race at Melbourne's Albert Park Circuit in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but will now host the opening race instead of the Middle Eastern kingdom due to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan falling in March next year.
The testing schedule and the sprint calendar will be announced at a later date.
The current season, which has sprints at six Grands Prix -- China, Miami, Austria, United States (Austin), Brazil and Qatar. -- Reuters
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