Race Start
Sunday, July 19 at 9:00 AM EDT
--:--:--
Free .ics download — sessions appear in your local time in Google, Apple & Outlook calendars.
Round 10 of 22 · Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps · July 17–19, 2026
Free .ics download — sessions appear in your local time in Google, Apple & Outlook calendars.
| Session | Eastern | Central | Mountain | Pacific |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice 1 | Fri, Jul 17, 7:30 AM EDT | Fri, Jul 17, 6:30 AM CDT | Fri, Jul 17, 5:30 AM MDT | Fri, Jul 17, 4:30 AM PDT |
| Practice 2 | Fri, Jul 17, 11:00 AM EDT | Fri, Jul 17, 10:00 AM CDT | Fri, Jul 17, 9:00 AM MDT | Fri, Jul 17, 8:00 AM PDT |
| Practice 3 | Sat, Jul 18, 6:30 AM EDT | Sat, Jul 18, 5:30 AM CDT | Sat, Jul 18, 4:30 AM MDT | Sat, Jul 18, 3:30 AM PDT |
| Qualifying | Sat, Jul 18, 10:00 AM EDT | Sat, Jul 18, 9:00 AM CDT | Sat, Jul 18, 8:00 AM MDT | Sat, Jul 18, 7:00 AM PDT |
| Race | Sun, Jul 19, 9:00 AM EDT | Sun, Jul 19, 8:00 AM CDT | Sun, Jul 19, 7:00 AM MDT | Sun, Jul 19, 6:00 AM PDT |
Spa-Francorchamps is the longest lap of the year at over seven kilometers, plunging through the Ardennes forest with the legendary Eau Rouge-Raidillon climb as its centerpiece. The circuit is so long that it can be raining at one end and dry at the other — a recipe that has produced decades of unforgettable races. If a first-time viewer asks which race to watch, the answer is usually Spa.
Spa-Francorchamps runs through the Ardennes forest on public roads first used for racing in the 1920s, and at 7.004 km it remains the longest lap of the season — so long that rain regularly falls on one sector while another stays bone dry. Eau Rouge and Raidillon form the most famous corner combination in motorsport: a compression at the bottom of a valley followed by a blind, flat-out climb the height of a five-story building.
The racing works because of what follows: the long Kemmel straight gives anyone who carries speed through Raidillon a slipstream run into the Les Combes chicane, the season's most reliable overtaking zone. Pouhon's double-apex left tests downforce like few corners anywhere, and the Bus Stop chicane funnels the field into a last-gasp passing chance. Low-drag versus high-downforce setup choices split the field every year and keep the racing unpredictable.
A World Championship venue since the very first 1950 season, Spa has produced more folklore than perhaps any circuit: the original 14 km road course where Fangio and Clark raced between farmhouses, the 1998 pileup that eliminated 13 cars at La Source, and the four-decade dominance of masters like Schumacher — who debuted here in 1991 and won six times. Its blend of speed, elevation, and Ardennes weather is why drivers consistently vote it the best circuit in the world.
Sunday morning start for US viewers. Keep an eye on the weather radar as much as the timing tower: Ardennes microclimates flip races here, and a well-timed switch to intermediate tires can be worth more than 20 seconds of pace. The long Kemmel straight guarantees genuine overtaking all race long.
A 9 AM Eastern Sunday start, mid-summer — comfortable on the East Coast, an early alarm out West. Watch with a weather radar open: Spa microclimates are genuinely part of the sport, and the transition laps when rain arrives at one corner of the circuit before the rest are some of the most skilled minutes of driving you'll see all year. Belgium is the classic answer to 'which race should a new fan watch first?'
The race starts Sunday, July 19 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, July 18 at 10:00 AM EDT), and the Grand Prix.
44 laps of the 7.004 km Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, a race distance of about 308 km.
It combines the longest lap on the calendar, over 100 meters of elevation change, the legendary Eau Rouge-Raidillon corner sequence, genuine overtaking on the Kemmel straight, and famously unpredictable Ardennes weather. Driver polls routinely rank it #1.
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.