News Summary
- The Mexican Grand Prix begins on Saturday morning, October 31, for viewers in Australia and New Zealand, even though the opening practice sessions take place on Friday in Mexico.
- FP1 starts at 5:30am AEDT in Sydney and Melbourne and 7:30am NZDT in Auckland, with FP2 following at 9:00am AEDT and 11:00am NZDT.
- The session will feature several rookie drivers, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli enters the weekend close to securing the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship.
Formula 1 returns to the track this weekend with the Mexico City Grand Prix, and Australian and New Zealand fans will be able to watch the opening practice sessions on Saturday morning, October 31. FP1 begins at 5:30am Australian Eastern Daylight Time in Sydney and Melbourne, followed by FP2 at 9:00am AEDT.
For viewers in Auckland and Wellington, the two sessions begin at 7:30am and 11:00am New Zealand Daylight Time respectively.
What time is Mexican GP practice in Australia and New Zealand?
| City | FP1 — Saturday | FP2 — Saturday |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney / Melbourne | 5:30am AEDT | 9:00am AEDT |
| Brisbane | 4:30am AEST | 8:00am AEST |
| Adelaide | 5:00am ACDT | 8:30am ACDT |
| Perth | 2:30am AWST | 6:00am AWST |
| Auckland / Wellington | 7:30am NZDT | 11:00am NZDT |
Both sessions take place on Friday, October 30, in Mexico City, but the time-zone difference moves them into Saturday morning in Australia and New Zealand.
FP1 and FP2 each last one hour.
Which drivers will take part in FP1?
Friday’s opening session features several rookie substitutions.
Mercedes will run Frederik Vesti in place of George Russell, while Audi has selected Freddie Slater to replace Gabriel Bortoleto.
Williams will field Luke Browning instead of Alex Albon, and Aston Martin will run Jak Crawford in place of Lance Stroll.
Alpine has confirmed Gabriele Minì for Franco Colapinto’s car, while Cadillac has selected Colton Herta in place of Valtteri Bottas. Racing Bulls has also announced a practice appearance for Nikola Tsolov.
The Mexico City FP1 driver changes mean several regular competitors will have less preparation time before qualifying.
What time are Mexico qualifying and the race in Australia?
| Session | Sydney / Melbourne (AEDT) | Auckland (NZDT) |
|---|---|---|
| FP3 — Sunday, November 1 | 4:30am | 6:30am |
| Qualifying — Sunday, November 1 | 8:00am | 10:00am |
| Grand Prix — Monday, November 2 | 7:00am | 9:00am |
The race begins on Monday morning in Australia and New Zealand, despite taking place on Sunday afternoon in Mexico.
For viewers in Perth, the race starts at 4:00am AWST on Monday, while Brisbane viewers have a 6:00am AEST start.
Can Antonelli win the championship in Mexico?
Andrea Kimi Antonelli has 365 points, leading Mercedes teammate George Russell by 123 and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton by 124.
The Italian can secure the World Championship in Mexico with ninth place or better, regardless of his rivals’ results.
Antonelli missed Thursday’s media activities because of illness, although Mercedes said it expected him back on Friday.
The championship calculations if Antonelli fails to score explain how the title could still be decided.
The full Australian and New Zealand Mexican GP schedule includes the remaining weekend sessions and local viewing times.
GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the Mexican Grand Prix this weekend, with breaking news, full coverage and real-time updates in its Formula 1 section.
