Lando Norris lifted his maiden Formula 1 world title amid a three-way challenge, which forced the championship battle to go down to the wire in 2025. 

After a short and sweet winter break, the 2026 season is upon us. 

F1 will expand to 11 teams and 22 drivers in the new calendar, with Cadillac being added to the fore. Meanwhile, Audi will hit the race tracks after they took control of the Sauber team. 

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The Sporting News tells you the key F1 dates for the 2026 calendar to look forward to.

When is the preseason testing of F1?

The 2026 preseason testing will kick off in mid-February in Bahrain. 

However, there is a four-day closed-door event testing in Barcelona scheduled in late January. This is being organised individually by the teams after agreeing to a deal with the Spanish circuit. 

It will not be broadcast, and no official timing data will be revealed. 

MORE: Australian Open qualifying LIVE 2026: Scores, schedule, draw, results, bracket

Jan. 26-30: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (behind closed doors)

Feb. 11-13: Preseason testing in Bahrain

Feb. 18-20: Preseason testing in Bahrain

Formula 1 2026 calendar

The first race for the season will take place in Australia in March. 

It will be a 24-round campaign with the United States hosting three races, the most by any nation. 

Madrid is the latest addition to the race calendar. Meanwhile, there are six sprint weekends in 2026. 

DateCountryVenueMarch 6-8AustraliaMelbourneMarch 13-15ChinaShanghai (Sprint)March 27-29JapanSuzukaApril 10-12BahrainSakhirApril 17-19Saudi ArabiaJeddahMay 1-3USAMiami (Sprint)May 22-24CanadaMontreal (Sprint)June 5-7MonacoMonacoJune 12-14SpainBarcelona-CatalunyaJune 26-28AustriaSpielbergJuly 3-5Great BritainSilverstone (Sprint)July 17-19BelgiumSpa-FrancorchampsJuly 24-26HungaryBudapestAugust 21-23NetherlandsZandvoort (Sprint)September 4-6ItalyMonzaSeptember 11-13SpainMadrid*September 24-26AzerbaijanBakuOctober 9-11SingaporeSingapore (Sprint)October 23-25USAAustinOctober 30 – November 1MexicoMexico CityNovember 6-8BrazilSao PauloNovember 19-21USALas VegasNovember 27-29QatarLusailDecember 4-6Abu DhabiYas Marina

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.”

How to watch Formula 1 in 2026 from India?

Here’s how to watch F1in 2026 in India:

TV channel: NALive Stream: FanCode

Fans can stream F1, including all sessions (practice, qualifying, sprints, races) in the FanCode app and website. 

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