United States Grand Prix 2026: Austin preview, schedule and how the title fight stands

Austin opens the Americas triple header

Formula 1 heads to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas for round 18 of the 2026 season, running October 23 to 25. Sky Sports describes the round as kicking off another triple header across the Americas, with the United States Grand Prix followed by races in Mexico City and São Paulo. F1 Salaries lists six rounds remaining after Singapore, from Austin through to the Abu Dhabi finale at Yas Marina on December 6. ¹³

Weekend schedule and start times

The race starts at 8pm UK time on Sunday, October 25, according to F1 Salaries, which equates to 4pm Eastern and 1pm Pacific in the United States. Sky Sports matches those timings and lists qualifying at 10pm UK on Saturday, October 24, with the race broadcast preceded by build-up from 6.30pm on Sunday. For Australian viewers converting from the 8pm UK start, lights out falls on Monday morning, October 26. ¹³

Sky Sports' full broadcast schedule shows first practice at 6.30pm UK time on Friday October 23, second practice at 10pm the same night, third practice at 6.30pm UK on Saturday and qualifying from 10pm. The weekend also features F1 Academy sessions, including practice and qualifying on the Thursday and three races across the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the event. ³

With all six Sprint weekends already run this season, F1 Salaries confirms every remaining weekend uses the standard format of three practice sessions and a Saturday qualifying session, so a driver can still score a maximum of 150 points across the six rounds that remain. ¹

Antonelli on the brink of a maiden title

Sky Sports reports that Kimi Antonelli arrives in Austin 102 points clear of his Mercedes team-mate George Russell at the top of the drivers' standings, and outlines how the Italian could mathematically seal the championship in Texas. The broadcaster notes the previous triple header saw Antonelli move closer to a maiden F1 title, with Red Bull and Max Verstappen's first two wins of the year having helped the Mercedes driver move clear of the pack. ³

Sky Sports adds that the competitive picture has rarely been more open, with each of the top four teams entering the weekend with genuine hopes of victory. Beyond the championship battle, the broadcaster highlights Verstappen's pursuit of a hat-trick of wins and Lewis Hamilton's attempt to rebound from a difficult Sunday in Singapore, where he overrode a Ferrari strategy call. ³

The Circuit of the Americas

Sky Sports describes the 3.4-mile, 20-corner layout on the outskirts of Austin as one of the best of the newer permanent circuits to join the calendar, an anti-clockwise track that quickly proved a hit with drivers after its debut as Formula 1's first made-to-measure home in the United States. Its design borrows from famous European venues: turns three to six echo Silverstone's Maggotts and Becketts esses, and there is a reverse triple-apex corner in the style of Istanbul Park's turn eight plus a Hockenheim-style arena section. ³

The circuit's signature feature is a steep uphill run to the first corner, which Sky Sports notes has produced numerous overtakes and controversial incidents across more than a decade of racing, with the wide braking zone at turn one a frequent wheel-to-wheel battleground. ³

Weather outlook

Sky Sports' forecast expects temperatures to climb above 30 degrees Celsius on all three days of track action in Austin, with rain the main variable: the latest forecast cited by the broadcaster suggests a 50 per cent chance of rain during the race, with showers also possible on Friday and Saturday. ³

How to watch, and a new US broadcaster

In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports is the exclusive live broadcaster, showing every session on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event, with the race at 8pm on Sunday October 25 and build-up from 6.30pm. Non-Sky customers can stream via NOW day or month passes, and free highlights appear shortly after the chequered flag on the Sky Sports app. ³

VpnRank notes a significant change for 2026: Apple TV holds exclusive United States F1 rights under a five-year deal, replacing ESPN and ABC, which no longer carry the sport. Every practice, qualifying and race session streams on Apple TV, but there is no traditional free broadcast feed in the US this year — only practice sessions and a few select races are free with an Apple account, and most races, the United States Grand Prix likely among them, require a subscription listed at about $12.99 a month or $99 a year, bundled with F1 TV Premium. ²

VpnRank also identifies free-to-air coverage in Austria, where ORF and ServusTV split the season between them, and in Belgium on RTBF Auvio, which shows every round free. Viewers abroad can reach their usual home broadcaster or these free feeds by connecting through the relevant country. ²