2026 F1 Race Calendar Revealed

2026 Formula 1 Calendar Unveiled: 24 Races, New Changes, and Key Clashes

Commercial rightsholder FOM and governing body the FIA have jointly announced the 2026 Formula 1 calendar, maintaining a 24-race schedule.

The season will kick off on 8 March with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne and conclude on 6 December in Abu Dhabi.

Season Opener & Early Calendar Adjustments

Due to the Ramadan holiday, Bahrain will not host the opening race, with Melbourne’s Albert Park instead retaining its traditional early-season slot. After Australia, F1 heads to Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix—now part of a double-header—while Japan’s Suzuka race remains a standalone event. The usual Bahrain-Saudi Arabia double-header follows shortly after.

Major Changes in May: Canada Clashes with Indy 500

A significant shift occurs in May, where the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal has been moved forward to improve freight logistics with Miami. However, this creates a three-week gap, leaving both races as standalone events. Notably, the Canadian GP (24 May) will now clash with the Indianapolis 500, a scheduling conflict that could impact audience overlap.

The removal of Imola’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix—which failed to renew its contract—has contributed to this reshuffle, temporarily dropping the iconic Italian circuit from the calendar.

European Swing & Madrid’s New Spanish GP

The Monaco Grand Prix has been pushed to the first weekend of June, departing from its traditional late-May date to accommodate the Miami-Montreal logistics. It will be followed by Barcelona’s yet-to-be-named race, which loses the Spanish GP title to Madrid but remains on the calendar for one final year under its current contract.

The rest of the pre-summer break schedule stays largely unchanged, with the Hungarian Grand Prix closing out the first half of the season in late July.

Post-Summer Return & Season Finale

The second half of the season resumes with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, followed by a double-header in Italy (Monza) and Spain (Madrid), the latter debuting on a new hybrid street circuit.

Mirroring 2024, the season concludes with an intense six races in seven weeks, featuring two triple-headers:

• Austin (USA), Mexico City, São Paulo
• Las Vegas, Qatar, Abu Dhabi

Sprint Races & Testing

F1 is expected to continue with six sprint events in 2026. Additionally, three pre-season test days in Barcelona and Bahrain will give teams extra preparation time for the revised 2026 car and power unit regulations.