F1 schedule: When is the next race and where is it being held?

The F1 schedule will reset once again as the 2025 season came to a thrilling conclusion in Abu Dhabi in 2025.

Lando Norris will head into Formula 1’s new era as World Champion for the first time, but with all-new cars, two new teams in Audi and Cadillac, returning drivers in Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, there is already so much to look forward to by the time the 2026 campaign gets underway.

Which race is next on the F1 schedule?

Round 1: Australian Grand Prix

Formula 1 will return to what became its traditional season-opening venue, when Albert Park took on the Australian Grand Prix in the 1990s.

After 11 days’ worth of pre-season testing, car launches, speculation over running orders and all the excitement that comes with pre-season, Formula 1’s all-new cars will finally be put to competitive action in Australia.

It will be a 22-car grid for the first time in almost a decade, too, with Cadillac arriving as the sport’s newest team, and Audi having completed its full factory takeover of Sauber.

There will be so many unknowns as the sport begins its new era, with potential for an enormous shake-up in the running order as the regulations completely reset.

Brand-new power units across the grid could become a significant performance factor, and cars which require a different driving style may make the watching experience different to what we have become used to in recent years.

Having been on the calendar for almost 30 years now, Melbourne will host the season opener once again as another mammoth 24-race schedule gets underway.

When is the Australian Grand Prix?

The Australian Grand Prix will take place from Friday 6 March until Sunday 8 March, with the race starting at 3pm local time [4am UK] on Sunday 8 March at Albert Park.

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Where is the Australian Grand Prix?

The part-time racing circuit at Albert Park has become a traditional curtain-raiser in Formula 1, and recent circuit changes to make the track faster have also gone some way to improving the racing there.

DRS zones are now a thing of the past, so drivers will have to utilise the tools at their disposal to pass – but the Melbourne circuit has always been one where overtaking is on the difficult side.

A sweeping right at Turn 1 feeds into the left at 2, heading onto a straight with a good overtaking opportunity under hard braking at Turn 3, heading right, left, then right again as the cars have a widened apex to run into at Turn 6, with the exit from there crucial as the drivers go full throttle for a long period from here.

The drivers sweep through Albert Park at high speed for a fast left-right sweep at Turns 9 and 10 – home hero Oscar Piastri proved overtaking around the outside is possible here, before another straight into a hard braking zone at Turn 11, a 90-degree right which is followed by another right at Turn 12, braking again for a tight left at 13.

Feathering the throttle through the final corner, Turn 14, is key as the drivers head back onto the start/finish straight, on a technically challenging track to start the year.

Is the Australian Grand Prix an F1 Sprint weekend?

No, the Australian Grand Prix is not an F1 Sprint weekend.

That means the teams and drivers will have the traditional two Friday practice sessions, and a third on Saturday ahead of qualifying. The Australian Grand Prix takes place on the Sunday.

The first Sprint event of the 2026 season will take place at Round 2, in China.

What are the F1 session times for the Australian Grand Prix?

Friday 6 March

FP1: 12.30pm-1.30pm [1.30am-2.30am UK]
FP2: 4pm-5pm [5am-6am UK]

Saturday 7 March

FP3: 12.30pm-1.30pm [1.30am-2.30am UK]
Qualifying: 4pm-5pm [5am-6am UK]

Sunday 8 March

Australian Grand Prix: 3pm [4am UK] [58 laps or 120 minutes]

Which races make up the F1 2026 schedule?

*Denotes F1 Sprint event.

Round 1: Australian Grand Prix, March 6-8
Round 2: Chinese Grand Prix, March 13-15*
Round 3: Japanese Grand Prix, March 27-29
Round 4: Bahrain Grand Prix, April 10-12
Round 5: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, April 17-19
Round 6: Miami Grand Prix, May 1-3*
Round 7: Canadian Grand Prix, May 22-24*
Round 8: Monaco Grand Prix, June 5-7
Round 9: Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, June 12-14
Round 10: Austrian Grand Prix, June 26-28
Round 11: British Grand Prix, July 3-5*
Round 12: Belgian Grand Prix, July 17-19
Round 13: Hungarian Grand Prix, July 24-26
Round 14: Dutch Grand Prix, August 21-23*
Round 15: Italian Grand Prix, September 4-6
Round 16: Spanish Grand Prix, September 11-13
Round 17: Azerbaijan Grand Prix, September 25-27
Round 18: Singapore Grand Prix, October 9-11*
Round 19: United States Grand Prix, October 23-25
Round 20: Mexico City Grand Prix, October 30-November 1
Round 21: Sao Paulo Grand Prix, November 6-8
Round 22: Las Vegas Grand Prix, November 19-21
Round 23: Qatar Grand Prix, November 27-29
Round 24: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, December 4-6

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