The countdown to the 2026 Formula 1 season is well and truly underway. With pre-season testing in Barcelona fast approaching — less than a month away — teams will then head to Bahrain in February before the new campaign officially gets going in early March.

The schedule has been brought forward compared to last year, with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne once again entrusted with opening the season. At the other end of the calendar, Abu Dhabi retains its now-familiar role as the venue for the championship finale.

As in previous years, the 2026 campaign will consist of 24 Grands Prix and six Sprint events from March through to December. It is a calendar packed with action from start to finish. Read the full breakdown of the 2026 Formula 1 calendar here.

As the curtain comes down on 2025, Aston Martin has offered supporters an early glimpse of what lies ahead by unveiling its first real teaser for 2026 on social media: the successful first fire-up of the AMR26. It marks the debut of the car that Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will take to the track in just a few weeks’ time.

The milestone moment for the Adrian Newey-designed machine shifts the focus firmly to the start of pre-season running, which begins with the opening test in Barcelona at the end of January.

From there, preparations will intensify during the second and third test sessions in Bahrain, before the new campaign officially gets underway in Melbourne in early March.