When will 2026 F1 season start? Full schedule, driver line-up, team news and everything confirmed so far

After a thrilling conclusion to the 2025 F1 season, attention now turns to the new season, which features new teams, new drivers and a host of new rules.

While Max Verstappen won his third consecutive race in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, the four-time champion had to settle for second place in the end-of-season standings as Lando Norris won his maiden F1 drivers’ title.

Norris knew that a podium finish at the season finale would be enough for him to clinch the title and he duly came home in third-place.

The 26-year-old becomes the 11th British driver to win the F1 drivers’ title and the first for McLaren since Sir Lewis Hamilton’s maiden triumph in 2008.

After taking his time to celebrate, Norris will then turn his attention towards preparing to defend his title next season, which begins in just under three months.

Here’s everything we know ahead of the 2026 F1 season, including the race calendar, team news, confirmed grid and rule changes for the new season.

When will F1 2026 start?

Ahead of the new season, teams will have three pre-season tests, one in Barcelona and two in Bahrain.

The official season then gets underway on March 6 with the Australian Grand Prix, the sport’s traditional curtain-raiser which takes place in Melbourne.

The 2026 F1 season will maintain its 24-race schedule, with the Imola Grand Prix being replaced by the Madrid Grand Prix.

F1 2026 team news

The 2026 F1 season will see Cadillac become the eleventh and newest team on the grid.

Sauber, who finished ninth in the constructors’ championship this season, will also be renamed to Audi after the company completed a takeover in 2024.

What is the driver line-up for F1 2026?

Cadillac have announced Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas as their drivers for their first season on the grid. Neither driver raced in 2025, having been dropped by Red Bull and Sauber, respectively.

Elsewhere, Isack Hadjar will join Max Verstappen at Red Bull after an impressive season with their sister outfit, Racing Bulls.

In Hadjar’s place at Racing Bulls will be 18-year-old British teenager Arvid Lindblad, who is promoted from F2, while the changes mean Yuki Tsunoda loses his seat and will instead be a test and reserve driver for Red Bull.

The full line-up is as follows:

McLaren – Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris

Ferrari – Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc

Red Bull – Max Verstappen, Isack Hadjar

Mercedes – George Russell, Kimi Antonelli

Williams – Alex Albon, Carlos Sainz

Audi (Sauber) – Nico Hulkenberg, Gabriel Bortoleto

Aston Martin – Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll

Alpine – Pierre Gasly, Franco Colapinto

Haas – Esteban Ocon, Oliver Bearman

Racing Bulls – Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad

Cadillac – Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas

Rule changes for F1 2026

Along with team and driver changes, the new F1 season will see sweeping changes and a raft of new regulations brought in.

For starters, next season’s cars will be lighter and smaller, the weight reduced by 30kg to 768kg, the length reduced by 200mm and the width by 100mm.

Elsewhere, F1’s new power units will see a 300 per cent inrease in electrical power, meaning there will be a 50-50 split between electric power and the internal combustion engine.

The drag reduction system (DRS) will also be removed and replaced by two power-boost modes: Z-mode and X-mode.

The former opens elements on the front and rear wings to increase downforce and speed through corners, while ‘X-mode’ reduces drag to maximise straight-line speed.

Brought in by the FIA, the hope is that these changes will allow for more opportunities to overtake in races.

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