The 2026 Formula 1 calendar has six Sprint weekends: China, Miami, Canada, Britain, the Netherlands and Singapore. Below is when each Sprint and each Sprint Qualifying session started in US time, how a Sprint weekend differs from a standard one, and how to watch Sprint sessions in the US. Singapore in October was the final Sprint of the year, so this page is also your record of the full 2026 Sprint schedule.
Apple holds exclusive US rights to Formula 1 from 2026. Practice, Sprint Qualifying, the Sprint, qualifying and the race stream with an Apple TV subscription, and Apple makes all practice sessions and selected race weekends available without one. Check Apple’s official F1 viewing guide for each weekend, or read our guide to watching F1 without cable for the full setup.
Every time on this page is computed from the official 2026 calendar data (via the Jolpica F1 API, the same source as the WatchF1 2026 schedule) and converted to US time for each date, so spring and summer rounds show daylight time. The Sprint runs on Saturday at the track. For the China round that was still Friday evening in the US.
| Round | Grand Prix | Sprint (ET) | Sprint (PT) | Race (ET) | Race (PT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Chinese Grand Prix, Shanghai | Fri Mar 13, 11 PM | Fri Mar 13, 8 PM | Sun Mar 15, 3 AM | Sun Mar 15, 12 AM |
| 4 | Miami Grand Prix, Miami | Sat May 2, 12 PM | Sat May 2, 9 AM | Sun May 3, 4 PM | Sun May 3, 1 PM |
| 5 | Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal | Sat May 23, 12 PM | Sat May 23, 9 AM | Sun May 24, 4 PM | Sun May 24, 1 PM |
| 9 | British Grand Prix, Silverstone | Sat Jul 4, 7 AM | Sat Jul 4, 4 AM | Sun Jul 5, 10 AM | Sun Jul 5, 7 AM |
| 12 | Dutch Grand Prix, Zandvoort | Sat Aug 22, 6 AM | Sat Aug 22, 3 AM | Sun Aug 23, 9 AM | Sun Aug 23, 6 AM |
| 17 | Singapore Grand Prix, Marina Bay | Sat Oct 10, 5 AM | Sat Oct 10, 2 AM | Sun Oct 11, 8 AM | Sun Oct 11, 5 AM |
Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time all year, so in spring and summer Phoenix matches the Pacific column rather than the Mountain one.
The calendar data shows the difference clearly. A standard 2026 weekend has three practice sessions, then qualifying for the Grand Prix, then the Grand Prix. A Sprint weekend keeps only the first practice session and adds two new ones: Sprint Qualifying and the Sprint itself.
Friday. Practice 1, then Sprint Qualifying later the same day. That means the first competitive session of a Sprint weekend arrives on Friday, a full day earlier than on a standard weekend. If you usually skip practice, Friday of a Sprint weekend is still worth a look.
Saturday. The Sprint comes first, as a separate race from Sunday's Grand Prix, and Grand Prix qualifying follows a few hours later. In 2026 the gap between the Sprint start and qualifying was four hours at every Sprint round, so Saturday is a two-session day.
Sunday. The Grand Prix runs as normal. The race start time on a Sprint weekend follows the same pattern as any other round in the region.
For US fans the result is more live action packed into fewer days. A Sprint weekend gives you something meaningful to watch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday instead of saving it all for qualifying and the race.
Full session times for all six Sprint weekends in Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific time. Times are shown on the US calendar date, which is why the overnight China sessions fall a day earlier than the dates at the track.
| Session | Eastern (ET) | Central (CT) | Mountain (MT) | Pacific (PT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice 1 | Thu Mar 12, 11:30 PM | Thu Mar 12, 10:30 PM | Thu Mar 12, 9:30 PM | Thu Mar 12, 8:30 PM |
| Sprint Qualifying | Fri Mar 13, 3:30 AM | Fri Mar 13, 2:30 AM | Fri Mar 13, 1:30 AM | Fri Mar 13, 12:30 AM |
| Sprint | Fri Mar 13, 11 PM | Fri Mar 13, 10 PM | Fri Mar 13, 9 PM | Fri Mar 13, 8 PM |
| Qualifying | Sat Mar 14, 3 AM | Sat Mar 14, 2 AM | Sat Mar 14, 1 AM | Sat Mar 14, 12 AM |
| Grand Prix | Sun Mar 15, 3 AM | Sun Mar 15, 2 AM | Sun Mar 15, 1 AM | Sun Mar 15, 12 AM |
| Session | Eastern (ET) | Central (CT) | Mountain (MT) | Pacific (PT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice 1 | Fri May 1, 12 PM | Fri May 1, 11 AM | Fri May 1, 10 AM | Fri May 1, 9 AM |
| Sprint Qualifying | Fri May 1, 4:30 PM | Fri May 1, 3:30 PM | Fri May 1, 2:30 PM | Fri May 1, 1:30 PM |
| Sprint | Sat May 2, 12 PM | Sat May 2, 11 AM | Sat May 2, 10 AM | Sat May 2, 9 AM |
| Qualifying | Sat May 2, 4 PM | Sat May 2, 3 PM | Sat May 2, 2 PM | Sat May 2, 1 PM |
| Grand Prix | Sun May 3, 4 PM | Sun May 3, 3 PM | Sun May 3, 2 PM | Sun May 3, 1 PM |
| Session | Eastern (ET) | Central (CT) | Mountain (MT) | Pacific (PT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice 1 | Fri May 22, 12:30 PM | Fri May 22, 11:30 AM | Fri May 22, 10:30 AM | Fri May 22, 9:30 AM |
| Sprint Qualifying | Fri May 22, 4:30 PM | Fri May 22, 3:30 PM | Fri May 22, 2:30 PM | Fri May 22, 1:30 PM |
| Sprint | Sat May 23, 12 PM | Sat May 23, 11 AM | Sat May 23, 10 AM | Sat May 23, 9 AM |
| Qualifying | Sat May 23, 4 PM | Sat May 23, 3 PM | Sat May 23, 2 PM | Sat May 23, 1 PM |
| Grand Prix | Sun May 24, 4 PM | Sun May 24, 3 PM | Sun May 24, 2 PM | Sun May 24, 1 PM |
| Session | Eastern (ET) | Central (CT) | Mountain (MT) | Pacific (PT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice 1 | Fri Jul 3, 7:30 AM | Fri Jul 3, 6:30 AM | Fri Jul 3, 5:30 AM | Fri Jul 3, 4:30 AM |
| Sprint Qualifying | Fri Jul 3, 11:30 AM | Fri Jul 3, 10:30 AM | Fri Jul 3, 9:30 AM | Fri Jul 3, 8:30 AM |
| Sprint | Sat Jul 4, 7 AM | Sat Jul 4, 6 AM | Sat Jul 4, 5 AM | Sat Jul 4, 4 AM |
| Qualifying | Sat Jul 4, 11 AM | Sat Jul 4, 10 AM | Sat Jul 4, 9 AM | Sat Jul 4, 8 AM |
| Grand Prix | Sun Jul 5, 10 AM | Sun Jul 5, 9 AM | Sun Jul 5, 8 AM | Sun Jul 5, 7 AM |
| Session | Eastern (ET) | Central (CT) | Mountain (MT) | Pacific (PT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice 1 | Fri Aug 21, 6:30 AM | Fri Aug 21, 5:30 AM | Fri Aug 21, 4:30 AM | Fri Aug 21, 3:30 AM |
| Sprint Qualifying | Fri Aug 21, 10:30 AM | Fri Aug 21, 9:30 AM | Fri Aug 21, 8:30 AM | Fri Aug 21, 7:30 AM |
| Sprint | Sat Aug 22, 6 AM | Sat Aug 22, 5 AM | Sat Aug 22, 4 AM | Sat Aug 22, 3 AM |
| Qualifying | Sat Aug 22, 10 AM | Sat Aug 22, 9 AM | Sat Aug 22, 8 AM | Sat Aug 22, 7 AM |
| Grand Prix | Sun Aug 23, 9 AM | Sun Aug 23, 8 AM | Sun Aug 23, 7 AM | Sun Aug 23, 6 AM |
| Session | Eastern (ET) | Central (CT) | Mountain (MT) | Pacific (PT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice 1 | Fri Oct 9, 4:30 AM | Fri Oct 9, 3:30 AM | Fri Oct 9, 2:30 AM | Fri Oct 9, 1:30 AM |
| Sprint Qualifying | Fri Oct 9, 8:30 AM | Fri Oct 9, 7:30 AM | Fri Oct 9, 6:30 AM | Fri Oct 9, 5:30 AM |
| Sprint | Sat Oct 10, 5 AM | Sat Oct 10, 4 AM | Sat Oct 10, 3 AM | Sat Oct 10, 2 AM |
| Qualifying | Sat Oct 10, 9 AM | Sat Oct 10, 8 AM | Sat Oct 10, 7 AM | Sat Oct 10, 6 AM |
| Grand Prix | Sun Oct 11, 8 AM | Sun Oct 11, 7 AM | Sun Oct 11, 6 AM | Sun Oct 11, 5 AM |
China, round 2. The first Sprint of the year was the hardest for American fans. Sprint Qualifying was at 3:30 AM Eastern on Friday morning, and the Sprint itself was on Friday night in the US at 11 PM Eastern and 8 PM Pacific. That made it the only 2026 Sprint that a West Coast fan could watch in the evening.
Miami and Canada, rounds 4 and 5. The two North American Sprints were the friendliest of the season. Both ran at 12 PM Eastern and 9 AM Pacific on Saturday, with Sprint Qualifying on Friday afternoon and the Grand Prix at 4 PM Eastern on Sunday. Miami was the only Sprint weekend held in the United States. If you follow the Miami crowd, our Miami watch party guide lists local venues for every race.
Britain and the Netherlands, rounds 9 and 12. The European Sprints ran early on Saturday morning in the US: 7 AM Eastern at Silverstone and 6 AM Eastern at Zandvoort. Sprint Qualifying fell on Friday morning in the East, which suited anyone who could watch from work or before it. The British Sprint landed on July 4.
Singapore, round 17. The last Sprint of 2026 was a pre-dawn session in the US: 5 AM Eastern and 2 AM Pacific on Saturday, October 10. Sprint Qualifying was on Friday morning in the East and the middle of the night in the West.
After Singapore, the calendar returned to the standard format for every remaining round. The final four races of 2026 are the Brazilian Grand Prix, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, and each one has three practice sessions, qualifying and the Grand Prix. Our guide to the F1 races left in 2026 has every remaining race and qualifying time in US time.
The 2027 Sprint calendar is not in our schedule data yet. WatchF1 will add next season's Sprint weekends once they are published in the same official source.
1. Start on Friday. Sprint Qualifying is the first competitive session, and on a Sprint weekend it comes on Friday. Put it in your calendar along with the Sprint, qualifying and the race.
2. Test streaming during practice. In the US every session is on Apple TV, and practice is available without a subscription. Practice 1 is a good chance to check the app, your sign-in and your picture before the sessions that count.
3. Plan a Saturday double. The Sprint and Grand Prix qualifying run on the same day, four hours apart. That gap is long enough for a meal and short enough to keep a group together, which makes Sprint Saturday a natural fit for a get-together. Our F1 watch party ideas cover food, games and hosting.
4. Check with the venue. If you watch in public, confirm with the venue that it is showing the Sprint, not just the Grand Prix, and check opening hours, sound and any reservation or ticket requirements.
Six. The 2026 calendar has Sprint weekends in China (round 2), Miami (round 4), Canada (round 5), Britain (round 9), the Netherlands (round 12) and Singapore (round 17).
No. Singapore was the last Sprint weekend of 2026, with the Sprint on Sat Oct 10, 5 AM Eastern. The four remaining rounds (Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi) all use the standard format.
It depends on the round. The two North American Sprints, Miami and Canada, started at 12 PM Eastern and 9 AM Pacific on Saturday. The European Sprints were early Saturday morning in the US, and China ran on Friday night in the US (Fri Mar 13, 11 PM Eastern).
In the 2026 calendar data, a Sprint weekend has one practice session and Sprint Qualifying on Friday, then the Sprint and Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday, and the Grand Prix on Sunday. A standard weekend has three practice sessions instead and no Sprint sessions.
The Miami Grand Prix, round 4. Sprint Qualifying was Fri May 1, 4:30 PM Eastern, the Sprint was Sat May 2, 12 PM Eastern and the Grand Prix was Sun May 3, 4 PM Eastern.
Apple TV holds exclusive US rights to Formula 1 from 2026. Every session, including Sprint Qualifying and the Sprint, streams in the Apple TV app with a subscription, and Apple makes all practice sessions and selected race weekends available without one. Check Apple's official F1 viewing guide for each weekend's availability.
Yes. The WatchF1 2026 schedule flags every Sprint weekend and lists the Sprint start time next to Grand Prix qualifying for each one.
Find a place to watch with other fans. Browse your city’s listings, then check the session, opening hours and admission details with the venue before heading out.
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