F1 Grand Prix 2019 Season Schedule, Start Times, Locations and More

Formula One's 2019 season begins on Sunday with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

Defending champion Lewis Hamilton has taken the title for the last two years in a row, and he remains the strongest contender to outpace the rest again.

Familiar competition will come from Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, but the team doesn't look as strong as a year ago, since Kimi Raikkonen has been replaced by Charles Leclerc.

Meanwhile, Red Bull Racing will count on the precocious Max Verstappen to keep the team relevant. Things look different after Daniel Ricciardo joined Renault and Pierre Gasly came on board.

2019 Schedule

• Australian Grand Prix, Melbourne: March 17, 5:10 a.m. GMT/1:10 a.m. ET
• Bahrain Grand Prix, Sakhir,: March 31, 4:10 p.m. BST/11:10 a.m. ET
• Chinese Grand Prix, Shanghai: April 14, 7:10 a.m. BST/2:10 a.m. ET
• Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Baku: April 28, 1:10 p.m. BST/8:10 a.m. ET
• Spanish Grand Prix, Catalunya: May 12, 2:10 p.m. BST/9:10 a.m. ET
• Monaco Grand Prix, Monte Carlo: May 26, 2:10 p.m. BST/9:10 a.m. ET
• Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal: June 9, 7:10 p.m. BST/2:10 p.m. ET
• French Grand Prix, Paul Ricard: June 23, 3:10 p.m. BST/10:10 a.m. ET
• Austrian Grand Prix, Spielberg: June 30, 2:10 p.m. BST/9:10 a.m. ET
• British Grand Prix, Silverstone: July 14, 2:10 p.m. BST/9:10 a.m. ET
• German Grand Prix, Hockenheim: July 28, 2:10 p.m. BST/9:10 a.m. ET
• Hungarian Grand Prix, Budapest: August 4, 2:10 p.m. BST/9:10 a.m. ET
• Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps: September 1, 2:10 p.m. BST/9:10 a.m. ET
• Italian Grand Prix, Monza: September 8, 2:10 p.m. BST/9:10 a.m. ET
• Singapore Grand Prix, Singapore: September 22, 1:10 p.m. BST/8:10 a.m. ET
• Russian Grand Prix, Sochi: September 29, 12:10 p.m. BST/7:10 a.m. ET
• Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka: October 13, 6:10 a.m. BST/1:10 a.m. ET
• Mexican Grand Prix, Mexico City: October 27, 7:10 p.m. GMT/2:10 p.m. ET
• United States Grand Prix, Austin: November 3, 7:10 p.m. GMT/2:10 p.m. ET
• Brazilian Grand Prix, Sao Paulo: November 17, 6:10 p.m. GMT/1:10 p.m. ET
• Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marina: December 1, 1:10 p.m. GMT/8:10 a.m. ET

Sky Sports has provided times and dates for the practice and qualifying sessions ahead of each race.

Leclerc is under pressure to deliver following Raikkonen's somewhat controversial exit. Still just 21, Leclerc made his F1 debut in 2018 and recently caught the eye during testing in Barcelona.

Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Despite the youngster's potential, Ferrari's hopes still rest on Vettel's form. The German is a four-time champion, who routinely beat Raikkonen but has suffered while Mercedes have dominated.

Whether the infusion of youth and excitement Leclerc brings will prove enough to motivate Vettel will be one of the more intriguing storylines of the new season.

It's still likely to be all about Hamilton and the Silver Arrows, though. However, the 34-year-old sounded nervous recently when he compared the quality of Mercedes' cars to the Ferrari vehicles.

The Briton admitted "we have a hill to climb, but we know how to do it," per Charlie Malam of the Daily Express. It's a reference to how Ferrari has outpaced Mercedes consistently during pre-season testing.

Improvements in the Ferrari cars were notable last season, but those tweaks ultimately counted for nothing against Hamilton's experience and incredible will to win. He's the best driver on the best team, a formidable combination for the rest to overcome.

Of those looking to close the gap, Red Bull face the toughest challenge. The fracture between Ricciardo and Vertappen hasn't helped.

Ricciardo described how their tempestuous clash at last year's Azerbaijan Grand Prix influenced his choice to move on, per Matthew Clayton of the Sydney Morning Herald: "I struggled to let that go, the whole race and the aftermath. That played a part in my decision. I never really felt the same after that."

Verstappen looks like a future F1 champion, and a more amiable sense of competition with new teammate Gasly will only help his chances. For now, though, it looks another season set to be defined by the tussle between Vettel and Hamilton.