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

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.

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

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.

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