F1: 2026 Pre-season Schedule and Race Calendar

It feels like yesterday when Lando Norris pipped McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri and four-time world champion to win his maiden Formula 1 title.

Ahead of the 24-race season that kicks off in Melbourne, Australia, on March 6, there’s still a ton that needs to happen.

Firstly, we’ll take a look at all the liveries set to be used in 2026, as well as some special ones that will only be used during the shakedown sessions. Regarding testing, there are several important pre-season dates you should be aware of.

Shakedown Session and Testing

Prior to public testing scheduled for Bahrain in mid-February, the teams will have a private shakedown session over five days in Barcelona, Spain. The teams will run their new 2026 cars, bound by the latest set of regulations, between January 26 and January 30.

According to F1.com, teams will only be allowed on track for three of the five days earmarked for the shakedown.

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was used for testing until 2020 and will host the shakedown sessions in 2026. The event is closed to the media, and all 11 teams will run their cars and choose which of the three days they wish to allocate for their testing. It’s imperative for

Once the sessions are completed at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the teams will regroup at their bases and focus on what they learned from the shakedown runs.

On Friday, 23 January, Williams confirmed they would not be attending the shakedown test in Barcelona. The team cited delays in their FW48 programme.

“The team will instead conduct a series of tests, including a VTT programme next week with the 2026 car to prepare for the first official test in Bahrain and the first race of the season in Melbourne,” a team statement said.

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Bahrain Testing

Before the teams make their way to Bahrain for pre-season testing, there will be several teams launching cars and showing off their 2026 liveries, including Mercedes, Aston Martin, and reigning constructors’ champions McLaren.

According to F1.com, the second run of pre-season will see the drivers and teams head to the Bahrain International Circuit for testing between February 11 and 13 at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Finally, the last pre-season test will kick off from February 18 to 20. This is when we’ll get to gauge which teams have an advantage and figure out the complex 2026 regulations.

2026 F1 Calendar

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