When does the 2026 F1 season start? All you need to know

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As soon as the chequered flag fell for the final time in 2025 in Abu Dhabi, attention already started turning towards the 2026 F1 season.

The 2026 season will feature 24 races, opening with the Australian Grand Prix on 8 March and ending on 6 December with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Huge changes are coming to F1 in 2026, with the introduction of brand new regulations.

The new F1 design rules, that affect chassis, aerodynamics and the power unit, are the biggest in the championship’s 75-year history and could shake-up the pecking order.

F1 will say goodbye to DRS as new moving wings are introduced, with the cars designed to improve following and overtaking opportunities.

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As a result of the regulation overhaul, there will be more pre-season testing than normal.

An initial test will be held behind closed doors at the end of January in Barcelona, before two further pre-season tests are held in Bahrain in February.

The season will then begin for real in Melbourne on the second weekend of March.

F1 pre-season testing dates

Private test, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – January 26-30

Official pre-season Test 1, Bahrain International Circuit – February 11-13

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Official pre-season Test 2, Bahrain International Circuit – February 18-20

Full F1 2026 calendar

The 2026 F1 season features a new race in the Spanish capital Madrid.

This race is in addition to the grand prix held at Barcelona’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Madrid replaces Imola, which drops off the calendar for 2026.

F1 2026 CALENDER: FULL SCHEDULE AND DATE OF EVERY RACERoundGrand PrixVenueDate1AustraliaMelbourne06-08 March2ChinaShanghai13-15 March3JapanSuzuka27-29 March4BahrainSakhir10-12 April5Saudi ArabiaJeddah17-19 April6MiamiMiami01-03 May7CanadaMontreal22-24 May8MonacoMonaco05-07 June9SpainBarcelona12-14 June10AustriaSpielberg26-28 June11United KingdomSilverstone03-05 July12BelgiumSpa-Francorchamps17-19 July13HungaryBudapest24-26 July14NetherlandsZandvoort21-23 August15ItalyMonza04-06 September16SpainMadrid11-13 September17AzerbaijanBaku24-26 September18SingaporeSingapore09-11 October19USAAustin23-25 October20MexicoMexico City30 October – 01 November21BrazilSao Paulo06-08 November22Las VegasLas Vegas19-21 November23QatarLusail27-29 November24Abu DhabiYas Marina04-06 December

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What about sprint races?

Six sprint races will once again be held in F1 2026.

The British Grand Prix will be one of the venues to host a sprint, with Silverstone last staging the format in 2021.

The other races to hold sprint races in 2026 will be China, Miami, Canada, the Netherlands and Singapore.

F1 2026 driver line-ups

2026 F1 driver line-upDriverTeamContract EndLando NorrisMcLaren”Long-term”Oscar PiastriMcLaren2026Lewis HamiltonFerrariMulti-yearCharles LeclercFerrariMulti-yearMax VerstappenRed Bull2028Isack HadjarRed Bull2026George RussellMercedesMulti-yearKimi AntonelliMercedes2026Fernando AlonsoAston MartinLance StrollAston Martin”2025 and beyond”Pierre GaslyAlpine”Long term”Franco ColapintoAlpine2026Esteban OconHaasMulti-yearOliver BearmanHaasMulti-yearLiam LawsonRacing Bulls2026Arvid LindbladRacing Bulls2026Alex AlbonHaas2025Carlos SainzHaas”Beyond 2026″Nico HulkenbergAudiMulti-yearGabriel BortoletoAudiMulti-yearSergio PerezCadillacMulti-yearValtteri BottasCadillacMulti-year