F1 Grand Prix 2018 Season Schedule, Start Times, Locations and More

The 2018 Formula One Grand Prix season will begin in Melbourne, Australia on Sunday, March 25, with champion Lewis Hamilton aiming to defend his title.

Hamilton's major competition will come from Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, while Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing is also one to watch. His team-mate, Daniel Ricciardo, should also be in the mix for the title for most of the season.

The obvious changes to the calendar see no more Malaysian Grand Prix, while the signature races in Azerbaijan and Russia have swapped months.

Here is the full schedule, along with start times, per the Formula 1 official website:

• Australian Grand Prix, Melbourne, 25 March, 6:10 a.m. BST/1:10 a.m. ET
• Bahrain Grand Prix, Sakhir, 8 April, 4:10 p.m. BST/11:10 a.m. ET
• Chinese Grand Prix, Shanghai, 15 April, 7:10 a.m. BST/2:10 a.m. ET
• Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Baku, 29 April, 1:10 p.m. BST/8:10 a.m. ET
• Spanish Grand Prix, Catalunya, 13 May, 2:10 p.m. BST/9:10 a.m. ET
• Monaco Grand Prix, Monte Carlo, 27 May, 2:10 p.m. BST/9:10 a.m. ET
• Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal, 10 June, 7:10 p.m. BST/2:10 p.m. ET
• French Grand Prix, Paul Ricard, 24 June, 3:10 p.m. BST/10:10 a.m. ET
• Austrian Grand Prix, Spielberg, 1 July, 2:10 p.m. BST/9:10 a.m. ET
• British Grand Prix, Silverstone, 8 July, 2:10 p.m. BST/9:10 a.m. ET
• German Grand Prix, Hockenheim, 22 July, 2:10 p.m. BST/9:10 a.m. ET
• Hungarian Grand Prix, Budapest, 29 July, 2:10 p.m. BST/9:10 a.m. ET
• Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps, 26 August, 2:10 p.m. BST/9:10 a.m. ET
• Italian Grand Prix, Monza, 2 September, 2:10 p.m. BST/9:10 a.m. ET
• Singapore Grand Prix, Singapore, 16 September, 1:10 p.m. BST/8:10 a.m. ET
• Russian Grand Prix, Sochi, 30 September, 12:10 p.m. BST/7:10 a.m. ET
• Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka, 7 October, 6:10 a.m. BST/1:10 a.m. ET
• United States Grand Prix, Austin, 21 October, 7:10 p.m. BST/2:10 p.m. ET
• Mexican Grand Prix, Mexico City, 28 October, 7:10 p.m. GMT/2:10 p.m. ET
• Brazilian Grand Prix, Sao Paulo, 11 November, 6:10 p.m. GMT/1:10 p.m. ET
• Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marina, 25 November, 1:10 p.m. GMT/8:10 a.m. ET

The schedule for practice and qualifying races ahead of each Grand Prix is available, per Sky Sports F1.

With four titles to his credit, Hamilton will once again be the driver to beat. He's the favourite to win another thanks to not only his career record, but also the speed and quality of the Mercedes vehicles.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Hamilton recently said his team is the best in the history of the sport, per an interview with UBS (h/t James Benson of the Daily Express).

The Mercedes car proved its superiority during most of pre-season testing in Barcelona, underlining the team's dominance.

The one-sided nature of the sport aside, Hamilton's biggest rival remains confident. Vettel talked up the new Ferrari SF71H car, per his team's official website.

Like Hamilton, Vettel is also bidding to win a fifth drivers' championship. However, neither Ferrari nor Mercedes can afford to sleep on Red Bull's potential.

JOSEP LAGO/Getty Images

Verstappen has the natural talent to upset the more established drivers. The 20-year-old saw car troubles deny his chances in several races last season, per Michael Potts of the Daily Express.

Red Bull vehicles performed well during testing, though, so both Verstappen and Ricciardo can be encouraged by their respective chances.

Each of the sport's premier drivers will want to start the season in style in Melbourne. However, the title race won't truly take shape until the drivers hit the track at Hockenheim in July, with August's Belgian Grand Prix one more important signpost en route to crowning another champion.