Formula 1 moves fast, and everything around it follows the same pace. As we just passed the first part of the 2025 season and approach the ninth round which is scheduled to take place at the 4.657-kilometre Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Sunday, discussions are already turning to next year. In fact, according to PlanetF1, the date and location of the opening round of the 2026 F1 calendar have already been determined.
Next year’s season will be full of new developments. What we’ve seen from 2022 until now—ground-effect cars, Red Bull’s dominance first, followed by McLaren’s—must be set aside. Everything is about to change, and a new chapter in the history of the world’s premier motorsport competition will be written.
The cars will undergo a complete revolution. New aerodynamics, smaller size, and—still highly debated—new engines. On top of this, two automotive giants will join the grid: Audi, which will take over the current Sauber team, and Cadillac, which will enter as the eleventh team.
But that’s not all: we might also see a major overhaul of the calendar itself. As announced a few months ago by Stefano Domenicali, 2026 could be the year when some historic circuits begin to “rotate,” making room for newly introduced tracks. Among the most talked-about is the Madrid street circuit, ready to make its debut.
So when and where will the 2026 Formula 1 season begin? Although F1 has not yet officially confirmed it, PlanetF1 reports that a decision has already been made. The 2026 F1 season will begin on the weekend of March 6–8 at Melbourne’s Albert Park Circuit in Australia.
As happened this year, the historic overseas round will once again “christen” the new cars, the new drivers, the two new teams, and the many other innovations we will soon see on track.
