Engines fire up again on May 1 in the USA for the Miami Grand Prix, ending a rare five-week break and setting the stage for a defining stretch of the F1 season.
With momentum reset and developments poised to make their impact, the coming races will reveal which teams have used the break to close the gap.
State of play so far
After the first three rounds of the season, Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli is leading the drivers’ championship, with the team also heading the constructors’ championship.
The opening round of the season in Melbourne saw George Russell take the win, with team-mate Antonelli in second and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc rounding off the podium.
Next came China, which saw Antonelli take his first win, followed home by Russell in second and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in third.
The latest race of the season saw Antonelli claim a back-to-back victory, with Russell claiming second again and Leclerc in third.
With 19 rounds to go, it’s anyone’s game and is set up to be a thrilling season.
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The North American duo
The 2026 Miami Grand Prix weekend will take place from Friday, May 1 to Sunday, May 3.
Once again, the sprint race will be a feature at the event, seeing more racing action across the weekend.
The Sunday race will take place at 21:00 BST.
Last year’s podium finishers were Oscar Piastri in first, Lando Norris in second, and Russell in third.
Following the Miami Grand Prix, F1 heads to Canada to finish the North American duo after a three-week break.
The Canadian Grand Prix weekend is also a sprint weekend and is set for Friday, May 22 to Sunday, May 24, with Sunday’s race starting at 21:00 BST.
The 2025 race was a victory for Russell, with Max Verstappen in second, and Antonelli claiming his first podium in third.
The European leg
Two weeks later, the European leg of the season kicks off in Monaco.
The dates and times of the European leg are:
Monaco Grand Prix weekend – Friday, June 5 to Sunday, June 7
Race start – Sunday at 14:00 BST
2025 podium finishers: Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix weekend – Friday, June 12 to Sunday, June 14
Race start – Sunday at 14:00 BST
2025 podium finishers: Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc
Austrian Grand Prix Weekend – Friday, June 26 to Sunday, June 28
Race start – Sunday at 14:00 BST
2025 podium finishers: Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc
British Grand Prix Weekend – Friday, July 3 to Sunday, July 5*
Race start – Sunday at 15:00 BST
2025 podium finishers: Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Nico Hulkenberg
Belgian Grand Prix Weekend – Friday, July 17 to Sunday, July 19
Race start – Sunday at 14:00 BST
2025 podium finishers: Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc
Hungarian Grand Prix Weekend – Friday, July 24 to Sunday, July 26
Race start – Sunday at 14:00 BST
2025 podium finishers: Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, George Russell
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Post-summer break
After the four-week summer break, we head back to Europe briefly before jetting off to other continents to finish the season, starting with the Dutch Grand Prix.
Dutch Grand Prix Weekend – Friday, August 21 to Sunday, August 23*
Race start – Sunday at 14:00 BST
2025 podium finishers: Oscar Piastri, Max Verstappen, Isack Hadjar
Italian Grand Prix Weekend – Friday, September 4 to Sunday, September 6
Race start – Sunday at 14:00 BST
2025 podium finishers: Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri
Spanish Grand Prix Weekend – Friday, September 11 to Sunday, September 13
Race start – Sunday at 14:00 BST
New for 2026
Azerbaijan Grand Prix Weekend – Thursday, September 24 to Saturday, September 26
Race start – Sunday at 12:00 BST
2025 podium finishers: Max Verstappen, George Russell, Carlos Sainz
Singapore Grand Prix Weekend – Friday, October 9 to Sunday, October 11*
Race start – Sunday at 13:00 BST
2025 podium finishers: George Russell, Max Verstappen, Lando Norris
United States Grand Prix Weekend – Friday, October 23 to Sunday, October 25
Race start – Sunday at 20:00 BST
2025 podium finishers: Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc
Mexican Grand Prix Weekend – Friday, October 30 to Sunday, November 1
Race start – Sunday at 20:00 BST
2025 podium finishers: Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen
São Paulo Grand Prix Weekend – Friday, November 6 to Sunday, November 8
Race start – Sunday at 17:00 BST
2025 podium finishers: Lando Norris, Kimi Antonelli, Max Verstappen
Las Vegas Grand Prix Weekend – Friday, November 19 to Sunday, November 21
Race start – Sunday at 04:00 BST
2025 podium finishers: Max Verstappen, George Russell, Kimi Antonelli
Qatar Grand Prix Weekend – Friday, November 27 to Sunday, November 29
Race start – Sunday at 16:00 BST
2025 podium finishers: Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, Carlos Sainz
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Weekend – Friday, December 4 to Sunday, December 6
Race start – Sunday at 13:00 BST
2025 podium finishers: Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris
* All race weekends with an asterisk follow the sprint weekend format.
SportJustSport writers