For Formula 1 2026, free practice periods held during sprint race weekends are set to be prolonged if a red flag incident occurs, guaranteeing that participating teams are allocated adequate preparation time.
During sprint event weekends, competitors are limited to a solitary 60-minute practice session on Friday’s opening hours, immediately followed by the sprint qualifying, which serves as the subsequent on-track activity later that same day.
Up until the 2025 championship, the timer for these sessions would persist during a red flag interruption. This often resulted in a situation where a halt in proceedings could severely hinder drivers and their teams from adequately preparing for the subsequent parts of the weekend. Notably, the singular FP1 sessions at both the Miami Grand Prix and the United States Grand Prix in Austin this year experienced disruptions due to red flags.
During the FIA World Motor Sport Council gathering in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where the FIA General Assemblies are being held this week, a modification was approved. This change empowers the F1 race director to lengthen the singular practice session during a sprint weekend, thereby ensuring teams benefit from the entire 60 minutes of track time.
Summarizing the WMSC’s resolutions, the FIA declared: “Provisions have been enacted to permit the extension of FP1 during a sprint event subsequent to a red flag, guaranteeing that participants are provided with appropriate practice duration.”
Oliver Bearman caused the red flag that ended FP1 in Miami
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
This provision is reportedly activated exclusively if the free practice session is halted prior to the 45-minute threshold. Under such circumstances, the session may be prolonged as extensively as deemed necessary by the race director, allowing competitors to complete the full 60 minutes of practice. Conversely, no extension will be granted if the session is interrupted past the 45-minute point. This adjustment is specific to F1 2026’s six sprint format weekends and does not pertain to standard grand prix weekends, which traditionally incorporate three individual one-hour practice sessions.
Regarding further modifications to the sporting regulations, the FIA announced a reversion to a solitary pre-season testing event starting in 2027. For the upcoming year, winter testing had been expanded to encompass two official three-day sessions in Bahrain, following an initial shakedown in Barcelona designed to assist teams in acclimatizing to the extensive regulatory shifts planned for 2026.
Commencing in 2027, Formula 1 will return to conducting a single test event, mirroring the arrangement seen in 2025, which took place at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain.
Additionally, a minor, interim increment has been approved for the count of operational personnel permitted within the F1 paddock, moving from 58 to 60 individuals per team, intended to support outfits in managing the latest generation of vehicles. The FIA has also streamlined protocols for race suspension and resumption, alongside making adjustments to tyre restrictions should a sprint qualifying session occur in wet conditions.
