Liberty Media along with the FIA have officially announced the F1 sprint calendar for 2026. Six sprint weekends have been scheduled again, but there have been significant changes among the hosts. The rules for the sprints are to remain unchanged.
Read more Hourly schedule of the 2026 Formula 1 season
Sprints debuted in Formula 1 in 2021 as one of the main innovations introduced by Liberty Media. Initially, there were three such weekends per season, and later their number was doubled to six. In the years 2021 – 2024, significant changes were always introduced to the sprint weekend format, but since then the situation has stabilized. The rules for sprint weekends in 2026 remain unchanged. On Friday, there will be practice and sprint qualifying, on Saturday the sprint and main qualifying, and on Sunday the race.
F1 sprint calendar for 2026
In 2026, six sprints will take place, scheduled for the following weekends: Chinese GP, Miami GP, Canadian GP, British GP, Dutch GP, and Singapore GP. Compared to the 2025 season, sprints in China and Miami remain. After a five-year break, a sprint will be held in Great Britain. Sprints in Canada, the Netherlands, and Singapore are completely new.
| Date | Grand Prix | Track |
|---|---|---|
| March 14 | China | Shanghai International Circuit |
| May 2 | Miami | Miami International Autodrome |
| May 23 | Canada | Circuit Gilles Villeneuve |
| July 4 | Great Britain | Silverstone Circuit |
| August 22 | Netherlands | Circuit Zandvoort |
| October 10 | Singapore | Marina Bay Street Circuit |
Formula 1 has changed the concept of the sprint calendar, as in previous seasons they planned three of them at the very end of the season. In 2026, the last sprint will be held at the beginning of October. If the competition for championship titles lasts until the end of the year, drivers will only be fighting for points in races, as there will be no sprints at the end. Instead, there will be an accumulation of sprint weekends at the beginning of the season.
The full Formula 1 calendar for the 2026 season is available here.
Sprints mean greater fan interest
On the occasion of publishing the sprint schedule for the 2026 season, Formula 1 shared some data regarding their viewership. There is no surprise here, as such sessions are watched much more eagerly than regular practice sessions. According to data provided by F1, in 2024, entire sprint weekends had an average of 10% more viewers than regular weekends. The sprint for the 2025 Chinese GP was watched by 84% more viewers in 15 main markets (countries with the highest viewership) than the session in 2024 (probably referring to a comparison with the third practice session). The sprint before the 2025 Miami GP was watched by 26.6 million viewers in the main markets, which is 18% more than the previous year. The sprint for the 2025 Belgian GP recorded the following audience increases compared to the sprint before the 2024 Austrian GP: +182% in China, +42% in France, +40% in Germany, and +9% in Argentina.
Since the sprint before the 2025 Belgian GP, the sponsor of these sessions has been Gatorade under an agreement with the PepsiCo corporation. Gatorade will also be a partner for the sprints in 2026. In 2024, the promoter of the Canadian GP stated that organizing a sprint would cost him an additional 4 million $, as that is how much must be paid to Liberty Media for this privilege.
Read more Hourly schedule of the 2026 Formula 1 season
I can add a very simple correlation from my side. During a regular race weekend, greater interest on my website blog appears on Saturday after the third practice session and lasts until a few hours after the Sunday race. During a sprint weekend, more traffic on the site starts as early as Friday afternoon. There is nothing strange about this, as only the most engaged fans are interested in practice sessions.
My comment on the choice of locations for the six sprints in 2026
In 2026, Formula 1 is introducing a revolution in the sprint calendar, as only two locations from the 2025 season are returning: China and Miami. This year’s sprint in China was very calm, and in Miami, rainy conditions caused some chaos. From my perspective, a big negative surprise is the location of sprints in the Netherlands and Singapore, because these are venues where overtaking is difficult. If there is no chaos related to weather or safety cars, classic processions are in store. Introducing a sprint in Canada and, after a break, at Silverstone are good moves in my opinion; more can happen there, especially thanks to the new cars, which should perform well on tracks with many long straights.
Overall, a significant change in the concept of arranging sprints in the season is visible; they will be in the early and middle phases of the competition, rather than at the end. Liberty Media is also testing new locations; this is being done with the 2027 season in mind. It is a surprise to me that there is no sprint in Qatar in 2026, which would surely pay a lot of money for such a privilege.
The future of sprint weekends in F1
In 2027, let’s expect a larger number of sprint weekends. Stefano Domenicali has spoken openly about such plans. We should prepare for 9-12 sprints in the 2027 season. Personally, I won’t be surprised if there are 12, because the F1 authorities are betting very heavily on this format, and most tracks want to have sprints. In 2027, a change in the sprint weekend format is possible; reversing the order on the starting grids for sprints is being considered.
The most important information about the 2026 season can be found in a special category of articles, which can be seen at this link.
