F1 studying another 2027 Australian Grand Prix change as Oscar Piastri’s home race loses first round

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Bahrain is now set to stage the first round of the 2027 F1 season instead of Australia, and F1 chiefs are considering further changes that may affect the race at Albert Park.

Melbourne became the traditional season-opener in 1996 after the city in Victoria took over staging the Australian Grand Prix. But Bahrain paid for the right to host the first round of the season from 2021 until 2024, before F1 gave the status back to Australia for 2025 and 2026.

McLaren driver Lando Norris won the 2025 Australian GP in what proved to be the first race of his first title-winning season. After Mercedes’ George Russell won the 2026 Australian GP this March, he will now hope to follow his British compatriot’s path by securing his first title.

Bahrain could not stage the first round of the 2025 and 2026 campaigns due to the timing of Ramadan, so Formula 1 gave the Australian GP back its traditional status. But the Bahrain GP is expected to reclaim the status in 2027, as Ramadan is due to fall largely through February.

Bahrain is set to replace Australia as the 2027 F1 season-opener – But which race would you pick to start a season?

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F1 is studying making Australia a triple-header with China and Japan in 2027

Also, FOX Sports Australia notes Melbourne’s ongoing 395 million AUD (£209.2m) project to upgrade Albert Park’s pit and paddock complex means the race was ‘never’ likely to start the 2027 season. In fact, F1 is now expected to push the 2027 Australian GP back to April 2-4.

READ MORE: Five unforgettable Australian Grand Prix including a title-deciding collision

F1 is even studying making the Australian GP a part of an early triple-header in 2027 with its races in China and Japan. The Chinese Grand Prix immediately followed F1’s visit to Australia this year, before the F1 paddock enjoyed a one-week break before the Japanese Grand Prix.

The Australian GP’s new date will not be permanent, if confirmed for F1’s 2027 calendar, as Melbourne’s contract with F1 states that the race must open the season at least three more times through 2037. Formula 1 is likely to return the first round to Australia in 2028 or 2029.

One F1 driver who may benefit from the Australian GP’s proposed new date for 2027 is local boy Oscar Piastri. The Melbourne-born McLaren racer is the only Australian on the grid, and starting the last two campaigns on his literal front door has not been a huge benefit for him.

Piastri feels there is “a larger element of the unknown” starting a season in Australia, and he has “an added layer” with most of the fans in the stands backing him. The 25-year-old failed to enthral his home crowd at Albert Park over the last two editions of the Australian GP, too.

While Norris won for McLaren at Albert Park last year, Piastri spun while P2 after rain hit the 2025 Australian GP before recovering to P9. This term, things went even worse for the home hero, as Piastri crashed on his way to the grid for the Australian GP to record a did not start.