When Does the F1 Season Start in 2026?
The 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship will begin with the Australian Grand Prix from March 6-8, 2026. This much-anticipated season marks a new era for the sport, bringing major technical rule changes, new sustainable fuels, and a busy 24-race schedule.
The year will end with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 4-6, giving fans months of high-speed action and new technology on track.
The 2026 season will be the 77th running of the Formula One World Championship, showing how long-lasting and popular the sport has become around the world.
Fans are excited not just for the racing, but also for the big changes that will reshape how F1 looks and feels. With new power unit rules and updated aerodynamic designs, every car will be reworked, which could shake up the usual order and help new teams and drivers rise to the top.
When Does the 2026 F1 Season Start?
Projected Start Date and Opening Grand Prix
The 2026 Formula 1 season is planned to start with the Australian Grand Prix. This opening race will take place over the weekend of March 6-8, kicking off what should be a dramatic and important year in motorsport.
Melbourne, Australia, will again host the first race of the season, a role it has held many times, bringing F1's excitement back to its strong fanbase there.
Australia has often been chosen to open the season, giving the championship a colorful and scenic start. Fans can expect the usual buzz as teams show off their new cars and drivers fight for early points.
With the new rules coming into effect, the first race will be especially important, giving everyone the first clear look at how the new generation of F1 cars performs.
Where Is the First Race Held in 2026?
The opening race of the 2026 F1 season, the Formula 1 Qatar Airways Australian Grand Prix, will be held in Melbourne, Australia. The racing takes place at the famous Albert Park Circuit, a semi-permanent track that runs along public roads around Albert Park Lake.
The circuit is well-known for its tricky mix of fast sections and tight corners, which test both driver skill and car balance.
The Australian Grand Prix is more than just a single race weekend; it's a major motorsport event that attracts visitors from around the world. Melbourne fully embraces the occasion, with the city buzzing as teams, drivers, and fans arrive.
The weekend usually includes several support races and plenty of off-track shows and activities, making it an impressive way to start the F1 year.
Key Dates for the 2026 Calendar Announcement
The official calendar for the 2026 Formula 1 season was released on June 10th, 2025. This key date gave fans, teams, and organizers the full 24-race schedule, listing the order of events and confirming each Grand Prix venue.
The announcement from Formula 1 and the FIA showed how much planning goes into building a calendar that reaches fans worldwide while also improving travel routes and cutting unnecessary freight movement.
While the full race list is fixed, more details will arrive closer to the season, including exact session times, official test dates, and team car launch schedules. These extra pieces of information help teams plan their travel and preparation in detail and help fans organize their viewing or trips to races so they can follow all the action.
2026 Formula 1 Calendar and Race Schedule
Full List of 2026 F1 Grand Prix Dates and Venues
The 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship will feature 24 races across five continents. Here is the full confirmed schedule:
- March 6-8: Australian Grand Prix, Melbourne
- March 13-15: Chinese Grand Prix, Shanghai (Sprint event)
- March 27-29: Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka
- April 10-12: Bahrain Grand Prix, Sakhir
- April 17-19: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Jeddah
- May 1-3: Miami Grand Prix, Miami (Sprint event)
- May 22-24: Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal (Sprint event)
- June 5-7: Monaco Grand Prix, Monaco
- June 12-14: Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, Barcelona-Catalunya
- June 26-28: Austrian Grand Prix, Spielberg
- July 3-5: British Grand Prix, Silverstone (Sprint event)
- July 17-19: Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps
- July 24-26: Hungarian Grand Prix, Budapest
- August 21-23: Dutch Grand Prix, Zandvoort (Sprint event)
- September 4-6: Italian Grand Prix, Monza
- September 11-13: Spanish Grand Prix, Madrid
- September 24-26: Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Baku
- October 9-11: Singapore Grand Prix, Singapore (Sprint event)
- October 23-25: United States Grand Prix, Austin
- October 30 - November 1: Mexican Grand Prix, Mexico City
- November 6-8: Brazilian Grand Prix, São Paulo
- November 19-21: Las Vegas Grand Prix, Las Vegas
- November 27-29: Qatar Grand Prix, Lusail
- December 4-6: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Abu Dhabi
This long schedule covers many different track types, including famous historic circuits and newer street tracks, giving drivers a wide variety of challenges and fans a rich mix of race styles across the season.
Changes to the 2026 F1 Calendar Compared To Previous Years
The 2026 F1 calendar brings several key changes aimed at improving travel, fan enjoyment, and alignment with global events.
One major change is the move of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix to April, instead of their usual early-season slots. This shift is due to Ramadan falling across February and March in 2026 and shows F1's respect for important cultural and religious periods.
Another important change is the new position of the Canadian Grand Prix. It will now follow the Miami Grand Prix, taking place from May 22-24. This earlier date and closer link to Miami help streamline the North American stretch of the calendar. Equipment and staff can go directly from one event to the other, cutting travel time and costs.
This clearer North American run then leads into a more organized European summer block starting in Monaco and finishing with Madrid's first race.
The 2026 season will also lose the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola because its contract ends after 2025 and has not been renewed. Italy will still be represented through the Monza race, but the country will host one Grand Prix instead of two.
Spain, on the other hand, will gain a second race, with both the long-standing Barcelona-Catalunya event and the new Madrid Grand Prix appearing on the schedule.
Which Circuits Are New or Returning in 2026?
The 2026 Formula 1 season will introduce one brand-new circuit and a notable change in how another event is presented.
The biggest new arrival is the Madrid Grand Prix, set to debut from September 11-13. The race will run on a part-street track called the Madring, built around the IFEMA exhibition center in Madrid. This highlights F1's continued push into modern city locations and should offer drivers a fresh and demanding layout.
While Madrid joins the calendar, Spain will keep its race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, now listed as the "Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix" to clearly separate it from the Madrid race. This gives Spain two events in one season, which is rare on the current F1 schedule.
The Madrid circuit still awaits final FIA approval, but early signs point to it being a strong and exciting addition.
On the downside, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola will be dropped for 2026, as its deal is ending. This means a classic track will no longer appear on the calendar.
Also, organizers of the Dutch Grand Prix have announced that 2026 will be the last year for the race at Zandvoort, making that season's event especially emotional for many fans.
These changes show how the F1 calendar keeps shifting to meet new plans, markets, and long-term goals.
Pre-Season Testing and Preparations for F1 2026
The build-up to the 2026 Formula 1 season will be especially intense because of the huge changes in the technical rules. Pre-season testing will play a bigger role than usual, giving teams time to understand and fine-tune their completely new cars.
The updates will cover power units, chassis design, and aerodynamics, effectively bringing in a new generation of F1 machinery.
In recent years F1 has often used just one pre-season test, but 2026 will have a larger testing program. This comes from the scale and difficulty of the new rules, which Sky Sports F1's Martin Brundle has called the biggest set of changes the sport has seen.
Teams have already been working on their 2026 cars for a long time, knowing that a strong start under fresh regulations can lead to long-term success, much like Mercedes' strong run after the 2014 rule changes.
When and Where Is F1 2026 Pre-Season Testing Held?
For the 2026 season, teams will get extra track time with three separate three-day tests. This extended schedule is a direct response to the complete redesign of cars and power units.
These tests will be key for finding faults, gathering data, and improving performance before racing starts for points.
The first test will be a private session at Spain's Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from January 26-30, 2026. This track is a familiar testing venue, offering a blend of fast and slow corners plus a long main straight, which helps teams check many aspects of their cars. Because this test is private, teams can run early checks and experiments without the pressure of full public coverage.
After Barcelona, the teams will head to the Middle East for two official pre-season tests at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir. The second test will run on February 11-13, 2026, followed by the third from February 18-20, 2026.
Bahrain's hot temperatures and abrasive track surface offer a serious test of reliability and tyre wear, making it a strong venue for final preparations. Holding the last two tests back-to-back helps teams apply changes quickly and gather a large amount of data under race-like conditions, just a few weeks before the first Grand Prix in Australia.