No other sport puts fans closer to the action than Formula 1® racing—and now Apple TV is the new home of F1, streaming every qualifying event, Sprint, and race live. Here’s everything you need to know about the 2026 season.

How does the competition work?

Eleven teams, each with two drivers, are competing this season, including storied franchises like Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes, as well as newcomers Audi and Cadillac. The driver who ends the season with the most points is crowned the Drivers’ Championship winner; the team with the most points wins the coveted Constructors’ Championship.

What happens on race weekends?

Competitions span multiple days and are divided into three parts: practice, qualifying, and the race.

Qualifying is where the battle begins. Over three rounds, drivers try to set the speediest lap times, with the fastest 15 moving onto the second round. From there, only the 10 fastest go to the final round.

The race weekend in some countries adds one more twist: the Sprint. This shorter race (100 kilometers) has its own qualifying event and is a chance to rack up more points. This year, six Sprints are set to take place in China, Miami, Canada, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Singapore.

What’s on the race calendar?

This season’s 24 races will take drivers from the Americas to Australia and in between, hitting many classic tracks, such as Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, Zandvoort in the Netherlands, and Interlagos in Brazil. Exciting new tracks in Las Vegas and Miami have been added recently too.

What’s all this I hear about the tires?

Tire management is key to race-day strategy. Should a team go with soft, grippy tires that degrade quickly but allow drivers to keep the pace high? Or should it opt for hard tires with less traction but more durability? This decision—along with how often to pit and when to switch when you pit—can be key to clinching victory.

How can I follow the F1 season and watch the races?

You can watch every Grand Prix™, including practice, qualifying events, and Sprints, in the Apple TV app with an Apple TV subscription. Select races and all practice sessions are also available for free in Apple TV without a subscription.

Stay ahead of the curve with the official Formula 1 app. It features breaking F1 news, season leaderboards, race telemetry insights, and a fantasy sports game where you can see if you have what it takes to manage your own F1 team.

F1 TV Premium, a subscription that unlocks extra content in the F1 TV app, is available for free with an Apple TV subscription. Just activate your plan in the app.

Immerse yourself even more in the world of F1 with these apps from Apple: