Martin Brundle confirms 16-race Sky F1 schedule for F1 2026 season

Sky F1 commentator Martin Brundle has confirmed that he is scheduled to “do 16 races a year” having missed the last two rounds of the F1 2026 season in China and Japan. 

It marks a slight reduction in Brundle’s workload from 2025, which saw him attend a total of 18 rounds.

Martin Brundle confirms ’16 races a year’ Sky F1 schedule

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Brundle has been a fixture of Formula 1 broadcasting in Britain for three decades having worked for the likes of ITV and the BBC before joining Sky F1 at the start of 2012.

The veteran pundit, who will turn 67 in June, was recognised with an OBE for services to motor racing and sports broadcasting last year.

With the Formula 1 calendar swelling to a record 24 races over recent years, the Sky F1 crew have operated with a rotation system over the past few seasons with the presenters, commentators and pundits all missing a select number of races.

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Brundle attended 18 of a possible 24 rounds in 2025, missing the Japanese, Emilia Romagna, Austrian, Azerbaijan, Mexican and Las Vegas grands prix.

After commentating at the F1 2026 season opener in Australia last month, Brundle has been absent from the last two race weekends in China and Japan.

Appearing on the Sky F1 podcast recently, Brundle revealed that he plans to cover 16 races this season – two fewer than in 2025 – with the respected pundit set to return at the next round in Miami next month.

It is unclear whether Brundle’s reduced workload is due to a change to his contractual agreement with Sky F1 for 2026 or a result of the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix, which have cut this year’s calendar to a maximum of 22 rounds.

Sky did not comment on the matter when approached by PlanetF1.com on Tuesday.

Brundle said: “I do 16 races a year, so I have to miss some and they tend to be the early-hours-of-the-morning races.

“But I always feel a bit sad when I’m not in Suzuka because I love that track as a driver and as a broadcaster, but I can’t do them all these days.”

Brundle went on to confirm that he will return to the commentary booth in Miami, claiming the Florida weekend could see “one of the biggest relaunches” ever seen in Formula 1 after a five-week break from Japan.

F1’s stakeholders are due to hold a number of meetings over the course of April with a view to refining the highly divisive F1 2026 regulations.

He added: “I’m definitely in Miami.

“That is going to be, I think, almost like the start of a new Formula 1 season.

“It’s going to be one of the biggest relaunches in the history of Formula 1, I think, and it’s going to be late April/early May, but looking forward to it.”

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