F1 United States GP 2026 Schedule - Start Times for Practice, Qualifying & Race
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Another triple-header begins with the United States GP.
After a one-week break, Formula 1 returns with a triple-header from the Americas. The United States Grand Prix will kick off the triple-header this weekend, followed by the Mexico and Brazil GPs.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen clinched back-to-back wins in the last two races, but the storyline that everyone is focused on is Kimi Antonelli clinching his maiden World Championship and becoming the youngest-ever World Champion in F1.
We’ve already broken down the title scenarios for Kimi, George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, and other contenders. You can check out the full breakdown here.
Catch Every Update, Anytime, Anywhere
Known for its challenging combination of high-speed straights, technical corners, and dramatic elevation changes, COTA is set to test the drivers and teams as the season enters a pivotal stage. Let us now take a look at the weekend schedule for the US GP 2026.
Friday, October 23
The US GP 2026 takes place October 22–25 at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. The weekend will include three conventional practice sessions, followed by qualifying and the race on Sunday.
Free Practice 1 Session Timings
- United States & Canada: 12:30 – 13:30 CT (Track Time) / 10:30 – 11:30 PT / 13:30 – 14:30 ET
- India: 23:00 – 00:00 IST
- China: 01:30 – 02:30 CST (next day)
- Mexico City: 12:30 – 13:30 CST
- United Kingdom: 18:30 – 19:30 GMT
- Brazil (São Paulo): 15:30 – 16:30 BRT
- Italy, Netherlands, Austria, Monaco, Germany, France, Hungary, Belgium, Spain (Europe): 19:30 – 20:30 CET
- Saudi Arabia & Qatar: 21:30 – 22:30 AST
- UAE & Azerbaijan: 22:30 – 23:30 GST / AZT
- Singapore: 02:30 – 03:30 SGT (next day)
- Japan: 03:30 – 04:30 JST (next day)
- Australia: 05:30 – 06:30 AEDT (next day)
Free Practice 2 Session Timings
- United States & Canada: 16:00 – 17:00 CT (Track Time) / 14:00 – 15:00 PT / 17:00 – 18:00 ET
- India: 02:30 – 03:30 IST (next day)
- China: 05:00 – 06:00 CST (next day)
- Mexico City: 16:00 – 17:00 CST
- United Kingdom: 22:00 – 23:00 GMT
- Brazil (São Paulo): 19:00 – 20:00 BRT
- Italy, Netherlands, Austria, Monaco, Germany, France, Hungary, Belgium, Spain (Europe): 23:00 – 00:00 CET
- Saudi Arabia & Qatar: 01:00 – 02:00 AST (next day)
- UAE & Azerbaijan: 02:00 – 03:00 GST / AZT (next day)
- Singapore: 06:00 – 07:00 SGT (next day)
- Japan: 07:00 – 08:00 JST (next day)
- Australia: 08:00 – 09:00 AEDT (next day)
Also Read: F1 title scenarios explained ahead of United States Grand Prix 2026
Saturday, October 24
The third practice session will take place on Saturday, along with the qualifying round, during which drivers aim to set their best time to secure a good position for the final race on Sunday.
Free Practice 3 Session Timings
- United States & Canada: 12:30 – 13:30 CT (Track Time) / 10:30 – 11:30 PT / 13:30 – 14:30 ET
- India: 23:00 – 00:00 IST
- China: 01:30 – 02:30 CST (next day)
- Mexico City: 12:30 – 13:30 CST
- United Kingdom: 18:30 – 19:30 GMT
- Brazil (São Paulo): 15:30 – 16:30 BRT
- Italy, Netherlands, Austria, Monaco, Germany, France, Hungary, Belgium, Spain (Europe): 19:30 – 20:30 CET
- Saudi Arabia & Qatar: 21:30 – 22:30 AST
- UAE & Azerbaijan: 22:30 – 23:30 GST / AZT
- Singapore: 02:30 – 03:30 SGT (next day)
- Japan: 03:30 – 04:30 JST (next day)
- Australia: 05:30 – 06:30 AEDT (next day)
Qualifying Timings
- United States & Canada: 16:00 – 17:00 CT (Track Time) / 14:00 – 15:00 PT / 17:00 – 18:00 ET
- India: 02:30 – 03:30 IST (next day)
- China: 05:00 – 06:00 CST (next day)
- Mexico City: 16:00 – 17:00 CST
- United Kingdom: 22:00 – 23:00 GMT
- Brazil (São Paulo): 19:00 – 20:00 BRT
- Italy, Netherlands, Austria, Monaco, Germany, France, Hungary, Belgium, Spain (Europe): 23:00 – 00:00 CET (next day)
- Saudi Arabia & Qatar: 01:00 – 02:00 AST (next day)
- UAE & Azerbaijan: 02:00 – 03:00 GST / AZT (next day)
- Singapore: 06:00 – 07:00 SGT (next day)
- Japan: 07:00 – 08:00 JST (next day)
- Australia: 08:00 – 09:00 AEDT (next day)
Sunday, October 25
The race will commence on Sunday, with the grid lined up as per qualifying. As noted, Kimi has the chance to clinch the title if he bags the win on Sunday and Russell fails to finish eighth or better.
Weather forecast
While Friday and Saturday are currently expected to remain dry for track action in Austin, mostly cloudy skies with a slight chance of isolated showers are forecast for Sunday’s race. Temperatures are expected to range between 19°C and 28°C throughout the weekend.
United States GP Race Timings
- United States & Canada: 15:00 CT (Track Time) / 13:00 PT / 16:00 ET
- India: 01:30 IST (next day)
- China: 04:00 CST (next day)
- Mexico City: 15:00 CST
- United Kingdom: 21:00 GMT
- Brazil (São Paulo): 18:00 BRT
- Italy, Netherlands, Austria, Monaco, Germany, France, Hungary, Belgium, Spain (Europe): 22:00 CET
- Saudi Arabia & Qatar: 00:00 AST (next day)
- UAE & Azerbaijan: 01:00 GST / AZT (next day)
- Singapore: 05:00 SGT (next day)
- Japan: 06:00 JST (next day)
- Australia: 07:00 AEDT (next day)
Who is the most successful driver at the United States GP?
Lewis Hamilton is the most successful driver in United States Grand Prix history, with six victories. Max Verstappen is the closest active rival, with four wins at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin.
Who won the United States GP last year?
Max Verstappen won the 2025 United States Grand Prix, with Lando Norris finishing second and Charles Leclerc completing the podium.
Where and how to watch Formula 1 2026 in India?
Fans can tune in to FanCode to watch F1 in India; alternatively, they can use the official F1 TV streaming service, which is available in India.
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