Race Start
Sunday, June 28 at 9:00 AM EDT
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Free .ics download — sessions appear in your local time in Google, Apple & Outlook calendars.
Round 8 of 22 · Red Bull Ring · June 26–28, 2026
Free .ics download — sessions appear in your local time in Google, Apple & Outlook calendars.
| Session | Eastern | Central | Mountain | Pacific |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice 1 | Fri, Jun 26, 7:30 AM EDT | Fri, Jun 26, 6:30 AM CDT | Fri, Jun 26, 5:30 AM MDT | Fri, Jun 26, 4:30 AM PDT |
| Practice 2 | Fri, Jun 26, 11:00 AM EDT | Fri, Jun 26, 10:00 AM CDT | Fri, Jun 26, 9:00 AM MDT | Fri, Jun 26, 8:00 AM PDT |
| Practice 3 | Sat, Jun 27, 6:30 AM EDT | Sat, Jun 27, 5:30 AM CDT | Sat, Jun 27, 4:30 AM MDT | Sat, Jun 27, 3:30 AM PDT |
| Qualifying | Sat, Jun 27, 10:00 AM EDT | Sat, Jun 27, 9:00 AM CDT | Sat, Jun 27, 8:00 AM MDT | Sat, Jun 27, 7:00 AM PDT |
| Race | Sun, Jun 28, 9:00 AM EDT | Sun, Jun 28, 8:00 AM CDT | Sun, Jun 28, 7:00 AM MDT | Sun, Jun 28, 6:00 AM PDT |
The Red Bull Ring is the shortest lap by time on the calendar — barely over a minute — carved into the Styrian mountains with just ten corners, three big braking zones, and constant elevation change. Short laps mean tight qualifying margins, packed midfield battles, and track-limit drama. It's a compact, high-intensity weekend where small mistakes are punished instantly.
The Red Bull Ring is a sprint up and down a Styrian hillside: just ten corners, four real straights, and around 65 seconds of lap time, with 60 meters of elevation change packed in. Three heavy braking zones — Turn 1, the steep climb to Turn 3, and the downhill entry to Turn 4 — are all genuine overtaking spots, which is rare for a modern circuit and keeps the racing honest.
Short laps compress everything: qualifying gaps are measured in hundredths, traffic management becomes an art form, and a 20-second penalty can drop a driver half the field. The final two corners, both fast right-handers with unforgiving gravel and track-limit sensors, decide most flying laps and generate an annual bonfire of deleted times. The thin mountain air also mildly stresses cooling, punishing teams that cut their radiator openings too aggressively.
This hillside has hosted three eras of Austrian motorsport: the fearsome Österreichring of the 1970s — one of the fastest tracks ever used in F1 — the shortened A1-Ring of the late 1990s, and the current Red Bull Ring, rebuilt and reopened by the energy-drink company in 2014. The 2026 edition carries extra weight locally: it's the spiritual home race of Red Bull's F1 operation, and orange-clad Verstappen fans have adopted it as a second home Grand Prix.
Sunday morning racing for US viewers, like the rest of the European summer. The whole lap takes about 65 seconds, so even a small gap on track looks tiny on TV — great for nervous viewing. With three genuine overtaking zones, this one rewards watching live rather than catching highlights.
Sunday morning viewing in the US, in line with the rest of the European summer. The Red Bull Ring's TV product is unusually good for nervous watchers: the whole lap fits in one broadcast minute, gaps are easy to read, and the three braking zones mean a battle rarely stays unresolved for long. Keep an eye on track-limit rulings at the final two corners — they have decided podiums here more than once.
The race starts Sunday, June 28 at 9:00 AM EDT. That's 8:00 AM CDT Central, 7:00 AM MDT Mountain, and 6:00 AM PDT Pacific.
No, it uses the standard format: three practice sessions, qualifying (Saturday, June 27 at 10:00 AM EDT), and the Grand Prix.
71 laps of the 4.318 km Red Bull Ring, a race distance of about 307 km.
At 4.318 km with only ten corners, it's one of the shortest laps in F1 — pole position times run barely over a minute, and the field completes 71 laps on race day.
New to Formula 1 or planning your viewing weekend? Read our guides to watching F1 in the US, how a race weekend works, and why F1 start times vary.