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This is the 2026 F1 calendar: All dates at a glance
After a brilliant comeback, Max Verstappen missed out on a fifth consecutive world title by just two points. In 2026 he'll go again and here are the important dates from the new Formula One season.
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The 2025 season started with Max Verstappen and Oracle Red Bull Racing playing catch up with the McLaren's of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Verstappen's supreme skill behind the wheel and some clever pitwall strategy kept the world champion in touch, delivering a masterful victory in Japan and, as the team got to grips with the car, a brilliant run of podiums and wins after the Dutch Grand Prix through to the end of the year.
However, despite winning the last three races of the season – and taking eight wins to the seven each of the McLaren drivers – Verstappen missed out on his fifth consecutive F1 World Championship by two points. The 2026 season represents a fresh start and with perhaps the biggest change in rules in the history of the series, it will be an exciting new title race.
It will be a race to be ready in time for the Australian Grand Prix
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01
The 2026 Formula One calendar
Round
Date
Country
Grand Prix
Venue
1
March 6-8
Australia
Australian Grand Prix
Melbourne
2
March 13-15
China
Chinese Grand Prix
Shanghai
3
March 27-29
Japan
Japanese Grand Prix
Suzuka
4
April 10-12
Bahrain
Bahrain Grand Prix
Sakhir
5
April 17-19
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Jeddah
6
May 1-3
USA
United States Grand Prix
Miami
7
May 22-24
Canada
Canadian Grand Prix
Montreal
8
June 5-7
Monaco
Monaco Grand Prix
Monaco
9
June 12-14
Spain
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix
Barcelona-Catalunya
10
June 26-28
Austria
Austrian Grand Prix
Spielberg
11
July 3-5
United Kingdom
British Grand Prix
Silverstone
12
July 17-19
Belgium
Belgian Grand Prix
Spa-Francorchamps
13
July 24-26
Hungary
Hungarian Grand Prix
Budapest
14
August 21-23
The Netherlands
Dutch Grand Prix
Zandvoort
15
September 4-6
Italy
Italian Grand Prix
Monza
16
September 11-13
Spain
Spanish Grand Prix
Madrid
17
September 24-26
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Baku
18
October 9-11
Singapore
Singapore Grand Prix
Singapore
19
October 23-25
USA
United States Grand Prix
Austin
20
October 30 - November 1
Mexico
Mexican Grand Prix
Mexico City
21
November 6-8
Brazil
Brazilian Grand Prix
São Paulo
22
November 19-21
USA
United States Grand Prix
Las Vegas
23
November 27-29
Qatar
Qatar Grand Prix
Lusail
24
December 4-6
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Yas Marina
02
A quick run around the park
With new engines and completely new chassis, pre-season testing in Barcelona and Bahrain will be crucial as the teams prepare for the 2026 season. The opening race will again be in Melbourne, Australia, which is always a popular venue among the teams. The track itself – a narrow street circuit winding through an elegant park – is something of an outlier and with the cars bristling with new technology, this race often throws up lots of crashes and unexpected results.
Max Verstappen is the best driver in F1 history at turning pole into a win
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03
China and Japan back-to-back
Two contrasting tracks with the ultra-modern and wide Shanghai International Circuit, boasting wide run-off areas and long straights not unlike where the drivers have been testing in Bahrain. The Chinese Grand Prix should give a clear indication of where the teams stand and who's likely to be challenging for the title.
Shanghai International Circuit is thoroughly modern
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Suzuka's ferris wheel is an iconic F1 landmark
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The Suzuka International Racing Course meanwhile has long been the home of the Japanese Grand Prix and is a real favourite of drivers, including Verstappen. He took maximum points in 2025 with a brilliant victory the against the odds. He returns to Suzuka having won the last four Japanese Grands Prix and will be determined to make that five.
04
Into the Middle East
Blink and you’ll miss it: the ultra-fast Jeddah Corniche Circuit
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The Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix are being held in April to avoid clashing with Ramadan. The wide spaces of the Hermann Tilke-designed Bahrain international Circuit are familiar to the drivers and teams, and always provide a spectacular venue as the cars race against the setting sun. Meanwhile, Jeddah's ultra-fast Corniche Circuit will provide the ultimate test of speed as the drivers get to grips with the new engines, electric boosts and active aero Z- and X-Modes.
05
Three 'M' races
Sun beds overlooking an F1 track? Welcome to the Miami Grand Prix
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There's an old adage in the paddock that if the host city begins with an 'M', it’s a party venue. Traditionally, that's Melbourne, Montréal and Monaco. Add Miami to the mix and you have a triple-header of party races. While it's one of the newer events, the Miami Grand Prix has quickly established itself as a favourite, bringing glamour and excitement. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Montréal offers a test of high-speed and the challenge of the 'Wall of Champions'. After agreeing a long-term extension to its contract, the Canadian Grand Prix will be on the schedule until at least 2035.
It can only be Monaco!
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Then, there’s Monaco – the slowest, narrowest and shortest track, and yet always a glittering occasion as the cars race around the harbour in fabulous Monte Carlo. This is also the first of Verstappen's home Grands Prix. The 'M' race adage is also not true, as as every host venue offers world class entertainment. The proof of that is that after Monaco, the F1 circus heads around the corner to arrive in the bright lights and sophistication of beautiful Barcelona.
06
Spielberg–Silverstone–Spa triple threat
Three more 'home' Grands Prix for Max Verstappen. The Austrian Grand Prix takes place on the world's most photogenic race circuit: perched on the edge of a pine-covered mountain in Styria with commanding views across a valley. One of the shortest tracks on the schedule, somehow the Red Bull Ring offers fast straights, steep climbs and a sequence of taxing technical corners in its circumference, while also creating a party atmosphere. Organisers have also extended their contract to keep the event on the schedule until at least 2041.
Always beautiful Austria is packed with Red Bull Racing fans each year
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Spa – often wet, always tough
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Then F1 arrives at two circuits that formed part of the original F1 World Championship back in 1950 and still offer the greatest tests of driver skill. Silverstone, with its fast complexes of corners and Spa's unrelenting straights and corners as it winds through the Ardennes.
It can only be Britain in the summer: glorious Silverstone
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07
Goodbye to Zandvoort
Zandvoort turns orange for the weekend when Max Verstappen's in town
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After Hungary, the F1 championship takes its summer break, coming back to action at the beach in Holland for the Dutch Grand Prix. This will be the last Dutch Grand Prix for a while as the owners of Zandvoort have chosen not to extend their licence, so expect Verstappen's Orange Army to make the most as they build a carnival atmosphere for their homecoming hero.
08
Even more M races!
Monza, near Milan, is another manistay of the F1 World Championship and home round for Ferrari and Visa Cash App Racing Bulls. Racing at the Temple of Speed is always spectacular and usually the end of the European run of races, but in 2026 F1 goes to a new venue which promises something special. The Madring in Madrid will be the new venue for the Spanish Grand Prix as F1 returns to the capital city for the first time in 45 years. The circuit will combine urban roads with purpose-built sections of track, offering fast sections, technical corners and extensive fan zones. The organisers hope that the Madring will be one of F1's most fan-friendly and accessible events.
Old Glory: The Circuit of the Americas promises close racing
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09
Setting sail for the Americas
The championship returns to Asia with the Azerbaijan and Singapore Grands Prix, before a run of four races in North and South America. Austin provides the party as the drivers tackle the superb Circuit of the Americas, which offers some of the best opportunities for wheel-to-wheel racing of the season, plus the chance to see the drivers dressing as cowboys.
COTA is Texas big
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There's nothing else like Mexico City's infield in all of F1
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They'll swap that for face paint and mariachi costumes as F1 arrives in Mexico in time for the Día de Muertos. Then, it's Brazil and Interlagos in São Paulo, scene of multiple brilliant drives by Max Verstappen. And then it's back to the USA to race down the Strip at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Interlagos bring the tropical vibes at the only South American stop
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There's no other circuit quite like Las Vegas
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10
The championship showdown
After 22 rounds, the championship arrives back in the Middle East for the final showdown in the high-speed of Lusail in Qatar and the traditional finale as the sun sets over the beautiful Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. The title race has come down to the wire in the UAE twice so far this decade, with Max Verstappen taking the spoils in a nail-biting 2021 title race and missing out by just two points last time out. With five wins in Abu Dhabi, the Dutchman has the record for victories around Yas Marina, but he shares it with Sir Lewis Hamilton and he'll want it for himself. What will happen? We can’t wait to find out.
Will there be final round fireworks under the lights in Abu Dhabi?
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11
What about the Sprint races?
The Sprint rounds are back with six more races, starting in Shanghai and Miami. Silverstone returns to the Sprint calendar for the first time since the format's inaugural event in 2021 and Montreal, Zandvoort and Singapore are all set to host their first-ever Sprint weekends.
DATE
GRAND PRIX
VENUE
March 13–15
China
Shanghai
May 1–3
Miami
Miami
May 22–24
Canada
Montréal
July 3-5
Great Britain
Silverstone
August 21-23
Netherlands
Zandvoort
October 9-11
Singapore
Singapore
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