After Lando Norris’ title-winning campaign in 2025, here’s a look at all you need to know for F1 in 2026.
The 2026 season will feature 24 rounds again with the season starting in Melbourne, Australia on March 6-8 through to Abu Dhabi on December 4-6.
There will be a new track on the calendar in the form of Madrid in September, as the drivers will race around the streets of the Spanish capital, while Imola has dropped off the schedule.
The biggest change is the regulations as new technical rules mean we will see new cars and a likely shaken up pecking order.
American manufacturer Cadillac will join the grid, so there will be 11 teams for the first time for the first time since 2016.
F1 pre-season testing
F1 2026 pre-season testing
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – January 26-30
Bahrain International Circuit – February 11-13
Bahrain International Circuit – February 18-20
F1 2026 calendar
Formula 1 2026 Calendar
Australia
March 6-8
Hungary
July 24-26
China
March 13-15*
Netherlands
August 21-23*
Japan
March 27-29
Italy
September 4-6
Bahrain
April 10-12
Madrid
September 11-13
Saudi Arabia
April 17-19
Azerbaijan
September 24-26
Miami
May 1-3*
Singapore
October 9-11*
Canada
May 22-24*
USA
October 23-25
Monaco
June 5-7
Mexico
Oct 30-Nov 1
Barcelona
June 12-14
Brazil
November 6-8
Austria
June 26-28
Las Vegas
November 19-21
Great Britain
July 3-5*
Qatar
November 27-29
Belgium
July 17-19
Abu Dhabi
December 4-6
*denotes Sprint weekend
F1 2026 Sprint venues
F1 2026 Sprint Venues
Chinese Grand Prix – March 13-15
Miami Grand Prix – May 1-3
Canadian Grand Prix – May 22-24
British Grand Prix – July 3-5
Dutch Grand Prix – August 21-23
Singapore Grand Prix – October 9-11
The 2026 F1 driver line-ups
McLaren: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
Mercedes: George Russell and Kimi Antonelli
Red Bull: Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar
Ferrari: Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton
Williams: Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon
Racing Bulls: Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad
Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll
Haas: Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman
Audi: Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto
Alpine: Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto
Cadillac: Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas
New F1 regulations in 2026
The big change in 2026 will be a complete overhaul of the technical regulations that will see major changes to the power unit, chassis and aerodynamic rules. The cars will be very different to say the least.
New car design rules in F1 almost certainly causes a shake-up to the pecking order. Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle has described the new regulations as the “biggest changes ever” in the sport.
The teams have long been working on their 2026 cars because the regulations are scheduled to be in place for five seasons. Being quick from next year will set you up to be competitive for the years to come. Mercedes’ dominance in 2014, for example, lasted until 2016 before they were finally caught by Ferrari and Red Bull.
There will be no more DRS, instead we will “Overtake Mode” where the drivers can use more power on designated straights if they are within one second of another car. We will also see “Active Aero” which means the front and rear wings will be moving before and after corners.
It’s expected the cars will be able to follow each other more closely, so there will be more overtaking opportunities.
F1 2026 teams and engines
Team
Engine
McLaren
Mercedes
Mercedes
Mercedes
Red Bull
Red Bull-Ford
Ferrari
Ferrari
Williams
Mercedes
Haas
Ferrari
Aston Martin
Honda
Racing Bulls
Red Bull-Ford
Alpine
Mercedes
Audi
Audi
Cadillac
Ferrari
How to watch or stream F1 in the UK and Ireland
Got Sky?
TV: Sky Customers can watch every track session live on Sky Sports F1
App: Sky Customers can also watch on the Sky Sports app – with the option to go onboard with any driver!
Not got Sky?
Stream: Non Sky Customers can stream the action with a NOW Day or a cancel-anytime Month pass
Live blog: Anyone on the move can follow live coverage of the race weekend through our dedicated F1 blog
FREE Highlights: Watch F1 highlights shortly after the chequered flag on the Sky Sports app
How to watch F1 with the Sky Sports app
Sky Sports Subscribers can:
Download or open the Sky Sports appHead to the ‘Watch’ sectionTap on the Sky Sports F1 channelSign in with your Sky iD (*you’ll only need to do this once)
*Sky iD help: How to find or create your Sky iD
Watch all 24 race weekends from the 2026 Formula 1 season live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime