The 2026 Formula 1 season will begin on the weekend of 6–8 March with the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne. A total of 22 drivers will line up on the grid, as the field expands to 11 teams. Cadillac joins the championship as a new team, marking the first new entry to Formula 1 since Haas debuted in 2016.
The 2026 season opens a new technical era with simultaneous regulation changes covering both the cars and the power units. The rules include a new car concept and revised hybrid power unit requirements, including a greater share of electric power and fuel specified as fully sustainable.
The season calendar is set to feature 24 rounds, with the next race after Australia scheduled to be the Chinese Grand Prix on the weekend of 13–15 March. Teams completed their winter preparations and pre-season testing in Bahrain in February. The first practice sessions in Melbourne will open the on-track fight for the drivers’ and constructors’ titles under the new, expanded grid.
