Melbourne confirmed as the scene of Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari debut

Lewis Hamilton’s long-awaited debut with Ferrari will be in Australia, with Formula 1 confirming Albert Park as the opening race of the 2025 season.

F1 confirmed the schedule on Friday night, with Melbourne hosting the season opener for the first time since 2019.

Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, announced in February that he would join Ferrari at the start of next season.

The move is one of the most monumental driver changes in F1 history.

Bahrain has held the first round of the season in previous years, and Saudi Arabia joined them at the start of the season.

With the Islamic holy month of Ramadan falling in March next year, Australia will host the inaugural race.

Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will contest the fourth and fifth rounds next season.

The Australian Grand Prix weekend will take place from March 14 to 16.

Abu Dhabi will once again be the final event of the season, which will be held from December 5 to 7.