Starting with the Australian Grand Prix on the weekend of March 6-8 and concluding with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from December 4-6, the F1 community will visit five of the world’s seven continents over the course of the year. In 2026, Ramadan will take place throughout February and March, meaning the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix will again be held in April. The calendar sees further improvements to the geographical flow of races, including the Canadian Grand Prix now following Miami in an earlier slot from May 22-24, delivering significant freight efficiencies as some equipment can move directly from one event to the other.
This change creates a consolidated European leg of the season across the summer months, beginning in Monaco from June 5-7 and finishing in Spain, where Madrid will make its F1 calendar debut from September 11-13. The championship then returns to Asia with the Azerbaijan and Singapore Grands Prix, ahead of a triple header in the Americas, before Las Vegas,Qatar and Abu Dhabi close out the season.
Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, said: “2026 will be a new era for Formula 1 where we will witness a brand-new set of regulations for our sport, the cars and the engines that will be powered by 100% sustainable fuel. “We are excited to welcome Madrid to the calendar, and to see huge automotive brands like Audi, Cadillac and Ford join the Formula 1 grid. “It promises to be an unforgettable season, where once again we will come together at 24 amazing global venues to watch the best drivers in the world push themselves to the limit and produce incredible wheel to wheel racing for our millions of fans watching around the globe.
“I want to thank all our fans for their passionate support and the FIA, with all the volunteers, marshals and officials, as well as the promoters, partners, sponsors, host cities and the local motor racing federations for their commitment and support in delivering this schedule in what I know will be another historic year for Formula 1.”
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA, added: “Next year’s FIA Formula One World Championship marks a significant new chapter for our sport. A new race, new teams, and the arrival of new manufacturers, all ushering in a fresh era of innovation and competition.
“With 24 Grands Prix across five continents, the season truly reflects the global nature of our community, while the improved geographical flow of the calendar shows our joint commitment to making the championship more efficient and sustainable.“The debut of Madrid, the arrival of iconic brands like Audi, Cadillac, and Ford, and the introduction of the next generation of F1 cars powered by 100% advanced sustainable fuels signal an exciting new era of racing. “My thanks to everyone involved in putting on this incredible season and in delivering a calendar that continues to drive the sport forward on all fronts. And, my thanks to the fans whose passion and unwavering support keep the spirit of our sport alive.”
As in 2025, six of the 24 venues on the calendar will host F1 Sprint events. For the 2026 season they are China, Miami, Canada, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Singapore.
And with the significant changes to the Formula 1 technical regulations for 2026, there will be three pre-season tests. Test one will be a private test and will take place at Spain's Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on January 26-30. Test two will be at the Bahrain International Circuit on February 11-13, with test three at the same venue on February 18–20.
In at least four sessions of Grand Prix weekends, two for each car entered in the championship, each team was required to field a driver who had not taken part in more than two Grands Prix. The following drivers were entered at selected events to drive in free practice:[5]
Drivers that took part in free practice sessions during the 2026 Formula One Season
Constructor
Driver
Round(s)
Changes from last season[]
This season saw the following changes from the 2025 season.
Team changes[]
Cadillac will become the eleventh team, marking Cadillac's first appearance in the series and the first new team on the grid since Haas in 2016. The team will use Ferrari power units and gearboxes, with plans to develop their own engine for use in a future season. Cadillac had previously tried to enter Formula One in conjunction with Andretti Global.
Ford will return to Formula One as an engine supplier for the first time since it provided engines for its works team Jaguar and its former customers Jordan and Minardi in 2004. and It will form a partnership with Red Bull Powertrains, which will supply Red Bull Racing and their second team Racing Bulls. Honda, which partially withdrew from Formula One 2021 whilst remaining in the sport as partners to Red Bull Powertrains, will split from the two Red Bull-owned teams and relaunch a fully-fledged engine program starting with Aston Martin under the Honda Racing Corporation banner. Aston Martin had used Mercedes power units since Aston Martin rejoined the sport, with Mercedes having supplied engines to Aston Martin's predecessors since 2009. Honda had previously collaborated with Aston Martin's predecessor Jordan from 1998 to 2002.
Renault will cease to provide engines for Alpine from 2026 after achieving poor results since the beginning of the hybrid power unit regulations in 2014. It will thus be the first season without any Renault engine since the 2000 championship. Alpine will become a customer team, as opposed to a full works outfit, as had been the case since Renault reacquired Team Enstone ahead of the 2016 season. Alpine will become a customer team of Mercedes, utilising their engines and gearboxes from this season onwards.
Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas will return to full time seats with Cadillac. Pérez had previously signed a two-year contract with Red Bull Racing until 2026, but this was terminated by mutual agreement at the end of 2024 season. Bottas last competed with Sauber in 2024 and is one of Mercedes' reserve drivers for 2025.
Australian Grand Prix
Chinese Grand Prix
Japanese Grand Prix
Bahrain Grand Prix
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Miami Grand Prix
Canadian Grand Prix
Monaco Grand Prix
Spanish Grand Prix
Austrian Grand Prix
British Grand Prix
Belgian Grand Prix
Hungarian Grand Prix
Dutch Grand Prix
Italian Grand Prix
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Singapore Grand Prix
Mexico City Grand Prix
São Paulo Grand Prix
Qatar Grand Prix
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
