F1 Today | 2026 sprint venues revealed, Albon makes admission on Verstappen

On Tuesday, the six venues set to host the sprint weekends next season were officially announced: China, the United States, Canada, Great Britain, the Netherlands (making its final appearance before leaving the calendar), and Singapore, scheduled for the weekend of October 9–11.

For the Netherlands, Canada, and especially Singapore, it will be the first time a sprint weekend takes place, with the latter in particular generating online debate, as many consider it not an ideal track for hosting a sprint race.

Albon, speaking on the P1 with Matt and Tommy podcast, highlighted that his main focus has been on his own performance, while also picking up on the sheer pace that the Dutch driver brings and understanding why Verstappen’s cars are often so fast.

The Thai racer also revealed that Verstappen had an impact on his approach to car setup at Williams. Albon, 29, explained how he configured the Williams to be more aggressive, aiming to extract faster lap times.

Verstappen and Albon were teammates for half of the 2019 season and all of 2020. However, Albon was eventually dropped from Red Bull after his performance dipped during his stay with the team.

Since then, Albon has revived his career at Williams and currently sits seventh in the 2025 drivers’ standings, ahead of Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.