Updated July 9, 2026
A Formula 1 "race" is really a three-day event with up to six distinct sessions, and in 2026 the calendar runs two different weekend structures. Here's what every session is for, in the order you'll watch them.
Most 2026 rounds — 16 of 22 — use the classic format:
Qualifying is a three-stage knockout that sets Sunday's starting grid:
Because overtaking is difficult at circuits like Monaco and the Hungaroring, Saturday qualifying is often the most consequential hour of those weekends.
6 rounds in 2026 — Chinese Grand Prix, Miami Grand Prix, Canadian Grand Prix, British Grand Prix, Dutch Grand Prix, and Singapore Grand Prix — compress practice and add a second race:
The practical upshot: with only one practice session before competitive running begins, teams have almost no time to fix a bad setup — which is why sprint weekends produce more surprises than standard ones.
Grand Prix points go to the top ten finishers: 25–18–15–12–10–8–6–4–2–1. The sprint pays a smaller scale to the top eight: 8–7–6–5–4–3–2–1. (The old bonus point for fastest lap was abolished after 2024.) Drivers accumulate points for the Drivers' Championship; both cars' points combine for the Constructors' Championship, which determines each team's share of the sport's prize money — why midfield teams fight so hard over a single point in P10.
For US viewers the puzzle is that all these sessions land at very different local times depending on the host country — a Friday practice in Japan is a Thursday night in New York. Every race page on this site lists the complete weekend schedule in Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific time (start here), the start-times guide explains the patterns, and the US viewing guide covers where each session streams.