Sunday will bring the start of the 2017 Formula 1 season with the Australian Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes holds pole position for the race after an exciting qualifying that saw both Mercedes cars pushed hard by the surging Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen.
Formula 1 2017: Start time, TV schedule, and starting grid for Australian Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton is on pole for the first Formula 1 race of the 2017 season, the Australian Grand Prix.
Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images
The race will take place from Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit on Sunday. It will begin at 4 p.m. local time, which translates to a start time of 1 a.m. ET in the United States. NBCSN will carry live television coverage of the race. In addition to that, a live stream will be available via NBC Sports Live.
Hamilton and new teammate Valtteri Bottas will be favored for much of the season until either Ferrari or Red Bull actually pushes them in a race. But after a preseason testing session worked out well for Ferrari, many felt they could even enter the weekend as the favored team.
In reality, they’re a long way from that, but Saturday’s qualifying was encouraging at the very least. Vettel put his Ferrari between Hamilton and Bottas, occupying a spot on the front row. Räikkönen finished just behind Bottas and then there was a smattering of other teams rounding out the top 10.
The United States-based Haas team had Romain Grosjean qualify sixth on the grid. He also performed well in Melbourne last season. His teammate, Kevin Magnussen, only managed to qualify in 17th on the grid.
Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull, who along with teammate Max Verstappen is also expected to push Mercedes at some point this season, crashed out of the third qualifying session while Verstappen qualified fifth on the grid.
Finally, the other interesting storyline over the weekend is the performance of the Honda-powered McLaren team. They have been plagued by severe mechanical problems throughout preseason testing, but at the very least Fernando Alonso managed to qualify in 13th on the grid. Teammate Stoffel Vandoorne came in at 18th on the grid.
Below is all you need to know to watch the Grand Prix on Sunday, both on television and online in the United States. And below that is the full lineup and starting grid for race day.
How to watch Formula One Australian Grand Prix
Date: Sunday, March 26, 2017
Location: Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne
Time: 1 a.m. ET
TV: NBCSN
Online Streaming: NBC Sports Live
Driver | Team | Best Time |
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