F1 2025 Australian Grand Prix weather forecast - teams braced for chaotic conditions in Melbourne

After 98 days without competitive on-track action, Formula 1 has returned to kickstart the 2025 season for the Australian Grand Prix weekend, with the main race taking place at Albert Park Circuit this Sunday.

Following a whirlwind 'silly season' of driver transfers last year, six new drivers are joining the grid in their first full-time contract and, vitally, Lewis Hamilton will compete in his first grand prix with Ferrari.

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Last season produced a title fight to the wire in the constructors' championship with McLaren stealing their first team victory since 1998, Ferrari coming in a close second and Red Bull falling to P3.

Christian Horner's F1 outfit have dominated both standings in recent years thanks to the force of their star driver Max Verstappen, who claimed his fourth consecutive drivers' title in 2024.

Now however, only two teams have retained the same driver lineup as last season, McLaren and Aston Martin, and with the papaya team looking to assert dominance off the back of their constructors' win in Abu Dhabi, the season opener is hotting up to be an exciting one,

As the Australian Grand Prix returns to its role of the season opener for the first time since 2019, here's how the weather currently looks for this weekend's grand prix.

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Australian Grand Prix weather forecast

Sunday, March 16: Race

Sunday's grand prix will see all 20 drivers line up for the first lights out of 2025 at 3pm local time (AEDT), but a huge drop in temperature to around 17 degrees Celsius and an unpredictable weather forecast threatens to throw F1 teams into chaos after a dry track on Friday and Saturday.

Heavy showers are forecast for Sunday with over an 80 per cent chance of rain for the duration of this year's first grand prix and wind gusts of around 34mph after warnings of a major thunderstorm continue to loom over the race.

As the cars line up on the grid before the race, the rain has eased but conditions remain incredibly slippery and wind gusts high at 33 mph.

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