US Grand Prix 2026 start time, Austin F1 schedule and preview

The 2026 United States Grand Prix is round 18 of the season and takes place at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October. Lights go out for the 56-lap race at 3pm local time (CDT) on Sunday 25 October, which is 20:00 UTC. It is a standard weekend rather than a sprint, so there are three practice sessions before qualifying on Saturday. The 2026 United States Grand Prix race page shows every session in your own time zone.

What time does the 2026 US Grand Prix start?

The race starts at 15:00 CDT on Sunday 25 October, which is 20:00 UTC. The United States stays on daylight saving time until 1 November, so Austin is five hours behind UTC for the whole weekend.

If you are watching from Europe, note that the UK and most of Europe turn their clocks back early on race morning. That puts the start at 20:00 in the UK and 21:00 in Central Europe. Practice and qualifying take place before the change, so the easiest way to get every time right is the F1 calendar, which converts each session to your local time automatically.

What is the full Austin F1 schedule?

All times are local Austin time (CDT), with UTC in brackets:

• Friday 23 October, Practice 1: 12:30–13:30 (17:30–18:30 UTC)
• Friday 23 October, Practice 2: 16:00–17:00 (21:00–22:00 UTC)
• Saturday 24 October, Practice 3: 12:30–13:30 (17:30–18:30 UTC)
• Saturday 24 October, Qualifying: 16:00–17:00 (21:00–22:00 UTC)
• Sunday 25 October, Race: 15:00 (20:00 UTC)

Unlike the last few editions in Austin, there is no sprint this year. Singapore hosted the last of the six 2026 sprint weekends, so every remaining round, including this one, follows the standard format.

What are the Circuit of the Americas track facts?

COTA is a purpose-built circuit on the south-eastern edge of Austin that has hosted the United States Grand Prix since 2012. The key numbers:

• Lap length: 5.513 km
• Race distance: 56 laps, 308.405 km
• Corners: 20, run anticlockwise
• Lap record: 1:36.169, set by Charles Leclerc in 2019

The lap opens with a steep climb to the tight left-hand hairpin at Turn 1, the main overtaking spot and usually the scene of a busy first corner. A fast run of esses through Turns 3 to 6 follows, where a well-balanced car makes the difference, before the long back straight into the Turn 12 hairpin gives drivers a second good chance to pass. Under the 2026 rules those long straights matter for energy as well as speed, because drivers have to decide where to spend the electrical power stored in the battery.

Who leads the 2026 F1 championship before Austin?

Andrea Kimi Antonelli leads the drivers’ championship on 340 points after round 17, the Singapore Grand Prix, which was won by Max Verstappen. His Mercedes team-mate George Russell is second on 238 points, 102 behind, with Lewis Hamilton third for Ferrari on 229. The top six going into Austin:

• 1. Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes): 340 points, 8 wins
• 2. George Russell (Mercedes): 238 points
• 3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari): 229 points
• 4. Max Verstappen (Red Bull): 221 points
• 5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): 215 points
• 6. Lando Norris (McLaren): 201 points

In the constructors’ championship, Mercedes lead Ferrari by 578 points to 444, with McLaren and Red Bull separated by seven points in the fight for third. The full tables are on the F1 drivers’ standings and constructors’ standings pages.

Can the 2026 title be decided in Austin?

Only in theory. Five rounds follow Austin and none of them is a sprint, so 125 points remain on offer after this weekend. A Grand Prix win is worth 25 points, so Antonelli would need to win in Austin with Russell finishing ninth or lower and Hamilton fifth or lower. Drivers level on points are separated by number of wins, and Antonelli is well ahead on that count. Any other result keeps the championship open into Mexico City.

What to watch at the 2026 United States Grand Prix

• The gap at the top: Russell and Hamilton both need to start taking big chunks out of Antonelli’s lead with only six races left
• Verstappen’s form: he arrives in Austin as the most recent race winner
• The start: the wide, uphill run to Turn 1 often lets drivers try different lines, and positions can change quickly
• Energy use: how teams balance battery deployment over COTA’s long straights could decide battles on track

During the weekend, follow every session on F1 live timing, then check the F1 race results and the updated standings once the chequered flag falls.