AGP to host 63-year Supercars first
This weekend’s Beaurepaires Melbourne SuperSprint will play host to a Supercars first — a race on Thursday.
The March 31-April 2 event is the second round of the 2023 Repco Supercars Championship. This weekend's event includes a race on the Thursday.
It’s the first time in the history of the ATCC/Supercars Championship, which began in 1960, that a race has been held on a Thursday.
Per V8 Sleuth, there have been 31 races held on a Friday or Monday, with 1091 races held on either a Saturday or Sunday.
Supercars have raced for points at the Grand Prix since 2018, and all three events so far — in 2018, 2019 and 2022 — hosted a race on Friday.
With Formula 2 and Formula 3 joining the Melbourne action, Supercars will race on a Thursday for the first time.
Thursday’s action will feature a blockbuster five Supercars sessions — two practice sessions, two qualifying sessions and a race.
There will be a sprint race on all four days of the event, with Thursday’s race — the 19-lap Race 3 — the longest of the weekend.
Friday’s action will feature the 15-lap Race 4, while Saturday and Sunday will feature 13-lap sprints.
The grids for all four races will be set by individual ARMOR ALL Qualifying sessions, which will be held across Thursday and Saturday.
Drivers will qualify for Races 3 and 4 on Thursday, and for Races 5 and 6 on Saturday morning.
Drivers must use both Hard and Super Soft tyre compounds in the four races, with compounds split for qualifying.
The Race 3 and Race 5 qualifying sessions will be held on the Hard tyre, and the Race 4 and 6 sessions on the Super Soft.
Cars will hit the track at 11:25am local time for Practice 1 on Thursday.
The first race of the weekend, Race 3, will commence at 5:45pm.
Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix 2023: Session times
Thursday-Saturday times AEDT
Thursday, March 30
Time | Category | Session |
1030-1100 | Carrera Cup | Practice |
1125-1155 | Supercars | Practice 1 |
1230-1300 | Carrera Cup | Qualifying |
1315-1345 | Supercars | Practice 2 |
1445-1500 | Supercars | Qualifying Race 3 |
1510-1525 | Supercars | Qualifying Race 4 |
1645-1725 | Carrera Cup | Race 1 |
1745 | Supercars | Race 3 (19 laps) |
Friday, March 31
Time | Category | Session |
0850-0935 | Formula 3 | Practice |
1000-1045 | Formula 2 | Practice |
1230-1330 | Formula 1 | Practice 1 |
1400-1430 | Formula 3 | Qualifying |
1455 | Supercars | Race 4 (15 laps) |
1600-1700 | Formula 1 | Practice 2 |
1730-1800 | Formula 2 | Qualifying |
1825-1900 | Carrera Cup | Race 2 |
Saturday, April 1
Time | Category | Session |
0905-0920 | Supercars | Qualifying Race 5 |
0930-0945 | Supercars | Qualifying Race 6 |
1045-1130 | Formula 3 | Sprint Race |
1230-1330 | Formula 1 | Practice 3 |
1420-1510 | Formula 2 | Sprint Race |
1600-1700 | Formula 1 | Qualifying |
1730 | Supercars | Race 5 (13 laps) |
1825-1900 | Carrera Cup | Race 3 |
Sunday, April 2
Sunday times AEST
Time | Category | Session |
0905-0955 | Formula 3 | Feature Race |
1025 | Supercars | Race 6 (13 laps) |
1135-1240 | Formula 2 | Feature Race |
1500-1700 | Formula 1 | Race |
