Melbourne rules itself out of 2027 F1 opener contention
The Australian Grand Prix has made clear it won't be a standby option for Formula 1's 2027 season-opener slot and is now fully committed to its early April date on the provisional calendar.
F1 announced a 2027 calendar on Tuesday that begins with Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, despite the current uncertainty over the situation in the Middle East that also means where this year's season will end still remains unclear.
It had been suggested that if F1 did decide it couldn't start 2027 in the Middle East after all, then Melbourne could be shifted forward into March and resume the season-opener position it has often held.
But Melbourne is in the middle of a revamp of its pit and paddock facilities, the first phase of which will be completed for the 2027 race, and Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO Travis Auld said the timelines involved mean its April date effectively cannot shift now.
"Our date’s been locked in now, April 1-4, and clearly we’ve got a big asset being built behind us that has some timelines attached to it," Auld said at a media call on Thursday, in quotes reported by Speedcafe.
"So we’re pretty much locked in at that April 1-4 date.
"I think it would be difficult for us to move that date now."
It's also understood that keeping the current date is Melbourne's preference because it coincides with local school holidays.
The Chinese GP - currently scheduled to be round five on April 18 next year as the final element of an Australia, Japan, China triple-header - has also been mooted as a contender for a date change if a non-Middle East season-opener is required.
