The FIA has announced an extension of Free Practice 1 for the Miami Grand Prix, one of the six Sprint weekend events on the 2026 Formula 1 calendar. The decision has been made to give teams additional track time after the long break between races, as well as in response to recent regulatory and technical updates confirmed on April 20.
The Miami Grand Prix format will therefore change. However, this does not affect the circuit layout or its location, but instead modifies the session schedule and timing structure for the weekend.
In the early afternoon, the FIA issued a brief official statement confirming the updated timetable for the fourth round of the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship, namely the Miami Grand Prix.
The race weekend in Florida will first of all feature an extended opening and only Free Practice session. It is important to remember that Miami is one of the six Sprint weekends of the season (one has already taken place in China, while another will be held in Canada).
Originally scheduled for 60 minutes, Free Practice 1 will now last 30 minutes longer, reaching a total of 90 minutes. This means the session will still start at 18:30 in Italy, but will now finish at 20:00 instead of the usual earlier conclusion.
With the extension of the first Formula 1 track session, all other on-track sessions scheduled before it will be brought forward by 30 minutes in order to accommodate the revised timing structure.
The FIA explained that this decision was taken considering the time gap since the last Grand Prix (Japan), as well as the regulatory and technical changes announced on April 20.
Furthermore, the fact that the Miami Grand Prix will host the second Sprint weekend of the season, which significantly reduces the amount of free practice time available across the weekend, also played a key role in the decision to adjust the schedule.
Below are the updated Miami Grand Prix weekend session times (Central European Time):
Friday, May 1
Free Practice 1: 18:30 – 20:00
Sprint Qualifying: 22:30 – 23:14
Saturday, May 2
Sprint Race: 18:00 – 19:00
Qualifying: 22:00 – 23:00
Sunday, May 3
Race: 22:00
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