The Canadian and Singapore Grands Prix organizes both for the first time sprint events on Formula 1 calendar 2026.
F1 has confirmed the six locations for the Sprint Races next season, with China again the first of the weekends to have only one training and two qualifying sessions before a sprint on Saturday and the most important Grand Prix on a Sunday. Miami also stays on the schedule for what the third consecutive year will be and corresponds to the first two sprints of the past two seasons, but after that there is a shift of events in the late season.
Canada will organize a sprint for the first time at the end of May – which means consecutive sprint weekends in North – America – before the British Grand Prix has a sprint in Silverstone for the second time. Silverstone has previously organized two races on successive weekends in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemie, but only organized the inaugural Sprint event in 2021.
The Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort will also organize a sprint for the first time in what the last year of his contract is before the sixth and last sprint takes place in the Singapore Grand Prix. The original night race location has never organized the extra racing format, given the difficulty in catching up on the street circuit, but the timing ensures that the Saturday race takes place in daylight.
No extra sprints have been added to the current total of six because of the new technical regulations that will be introduced, but Racer understands that there could be an extensive schedule in 2027. That number can be as high as 12 sprint events, with layout changes such as reverse grilles that are considered and discussed with the teams and FIA, since the sport is a higher viewers and increased racing weekend compared to a traditional race weekend.
“The F1 sprint has continued to grow in positive impact and popularity since it was introduced in 2021,” said F1 President Stefano Domenicali. “With four competitive sessions instead of two during a conventional Grand Prix -weekend, F1 Sprint events offer more action every day for our fans, temporary partners and for the promoters -stimulating more presence and viewers. We are also proud to welcome Gatorade as an official partner of F1 Sprint, who demonstrates the enormous interest.
“The 2026 season will inhabit a new era of the regulations, so having three new sprint locations will only add to the drama on the rails. I want to thank the FIA, all promoters, our partners, Marshals, volunteers and local sports clubs for continuing to make the sprint and we all look out to give our fans more unbelievably racing.”
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem says that drivers will be involved in every decision-making when it comes to changes in the Sprint format, which currently sees a separate qualifying session and short race that points at the top eight finishers.
“The Sprint format has become an increasingly exciting part of the FIA Formula One World Championship, causing racing of high intensity and added entertainment for fans around the world,” Ben Sulayem added. “While we look ahead to a milestone 2026 season with a new generation of cars and regulations, I am happy that I can see the sprint evolve next to our broader ambitions for the sport.
“The recording of new locations, in addition to recurring favorites, reflects the continuous enthusiasm of promoters, teams and fans. We will continue to work closely with FOM, the teams, our officials and the drivers to ensure that the Sprint format improves the championship.”
The selections mean that for the first time since the size there will be no sprint at Interlagos, while the Grand Prix of the United States in Austin will return to the traditional racing weekend schedule for the first time since 2022.
This year the schedule still has sprint weekends in Austin, Interlagos and Qatar, which means that there are three sprints in the last six rounds.
On top of the sprint calendar, the starting times for the 2026 races are confirmed, with the Canadian Grand Prix one focus area. Next year’s race in Montreal takes place on the same day as the Indianapolis 500 after calendar regionalization, and Racer actively understands F1 involved in Indycar to avoid a collision. As a result, the Canadian Grand Prix starts at 1600 ET, creating a window of more than three hours to allow the Indy 500 to walk in (Green Flag Time 1245 et) before the races can overlap.
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