The 2026 Formula 1 campaign got underway in Australia on March 8 as George Russell took victory for Mercedes.
This season includes a raft of new regulations relating to engines, chassis, tyres and fuel, which could make for some unpredictable races over the next nine months.
Lando Norris became world champion for the first time in 2025 after finishing third at a dramatic concluding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, edging out race winner Max Verstappen in the title battle by just two points. McLaren and Red Bull were expected to lead the charge again, although Mercedes’ pace early in the season meant they were the team to beat.
The Sporting News has the full schedule for 2026.
MORE: Which driver has the most wins in F1 history?
F1 schedule 2026
The 2026 F1 season was again due to feature 24 races, but the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix were cancelled because of the war in the Middle East.
There is also a slight change to the lineup for this year.
The Spanish Grand Prix, which will be held in September, has been relocated to a new Madrid street circuit. That means the race in Barcelona will now be called the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, which will take place in June.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku has been moved to a Saturday to avoid a clash with the national day of remembrance.
The season began at Albert Park in Australia, with the Chinese Grand Prix then kicking off a run of four races in Asia, as was the case in 2025.
Miami followed before the action headed to Europe in June, beginning with the Monaco Grand Prix on June 7. All races will then be held in that continent until October.
Azerbaijan and Singapore are next on the schedule before F1 heads to the Americas, with Grands Prix to be held in the United States (Las Vegas and Austin), Mexico and Brazil.
The last two races of the season will take place in the Middle East, with Abu Dhabi to host the finale, as usual.
Bahrain, Saudi Arabia Grands Prix cancelled
F1 organisers chose to cancel the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia because of the conflict in the Middle East that began with the United States and Israel’s attack on Iran.
The event in Bahrain was due to take place over the weekend of April 10-12, with the season heading to Jeddah a week later.
The races were cancelled rather than postponed, so rather than have them rescheduled or replaced, the season has been shortened to 22 races.
F1 2026 sprint race schedule
Three of the six sprint venues for 2026 will host these shortened races for the first time.
The first sprint once more took place in the second race weekend of the season in Shanghai. The next is in Miami in early May.
Montreal will then host its first sprint at the end of that month, with the Dutch and Singapore Grands Prix also staging the race for the first time, after Silverstone in July.
Full F1 2026 race calendar
| Date | Grand Prix | Track | Winner |
| Mar. 6-8 | Australia | Albert Park Circuit | George Russell (Mercedes) |
| Mar. 13-15 | China* | Shanghai International Circuit | Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) |
| Mar. 27-29 | Japan | Suzuka International Racing Course | Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) |
Cancelled due to Middle East war |
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Cancelled due to Middle East war |
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| May 1-3 | Miami* | Miami International Autodrome | Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) |
| May 22-24 | Canada* | Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve | Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) |
| June 5-7 | Monaco | Circuit de Monaco | Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) |
| June 12-14 | Barcelona-Catalunya | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya | Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) |
| June 26-28 | Austria | Red Bull Ring | |
| July 3-5 | United Kingdom* | Silverstone Circuit | |
| July 17-19 | Belgium | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | |
| July 24-26 | Hungary | Hungaroring | |
| Aug. 21-23 | Netherlands* | Circuit Zandvoort | |
| Sep. 4-6 | Italy | Autodromo Nazionale Monza | |
| Sep. 11-13 | Spain | Madring | |
| Sep. 24-26 | Azerbaijan** | Baku City Circuit | |
| Oct. 9-11 | Singapore* | Marina Bay Street Circuit | |
| Oct. 23-25 | USA | Circuit of the Americas | |
| Oct. 30-Nov. 1 | Mexico | Autodromo Hermanos RodrÃguez | |
| Nov. 6-8 | Brazil | Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace | |
| Nov. 19-21 | Las Vegas | Las Vegas Strip Circuit | |
| Nov. 27-29 | Qatar* | Lusail International Circuit | |
| Dec. 4-6 | Abu Dhabi | Yas Marina Circuit |
*Sprint format
**Race moved to Saturday to accommodate national remembrance day
F1 2026 driver lineup, grid
New on the grid this year are Audi and Cadillac, the former having taken the place and drivers of Sauber.
Cadillac line up with veteran drivers Sergio Perez, formerly of Red Bull, and Valtteri Bottas, twice a world championship runner-up with Mercedes.
The big change near the top of the field sees Isack Hadjar take over as Red Bull’s teammate for Max Verstappen. British driver Arvid Lindblad replaces Hadjar at Racing Bulls for his debut year.
| Team | Driver |
| Mercedes | Andrea Kimi Antonelli |
| Mercedes | George Russell |
| Red Bull | Max Verstappen |
| Red Bull | Isack Hadjar |
| Ferrari | Charles Leclerc |
| Ferrari | Lewis Hamilton |
| McLaren | Lando Norris |
| McLaren | Oscar Piastri |
| Alpine | Pierre Gasly |
| Alpine | Franco Colapinto |
| Audi | Nico Hulkenberg |
| Audi | Gabriel Bortoleto |
| Cadillac | Sergio Perez |
| Cadillac | Valtteri Bottas |
| Racing Bulls | Liam Lawson |
| Racing Bulls | Arvid Lindblad |
| Aston Martin | Fernando Alonso |
| Aston Martin | Lance Stroll |
| Haas | Esteban Ocon |
| Haas | Oliver Bearman |
| Williams | Carlos Sainz |
| Williams | Alexander Albon |