F1 Miami Grand Prix: Key Details
The 2026 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix runs May 1–3 at the Miami International Autodrome, a 5.412 km circuit wrapped around Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Miami is a Sprint weekend, meaning there is a sprint race plus the Grand Prix.
In the US, the race broadcasts on Apple TV and F1 TV Premium, with the main Grand Prix starting at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 3.
McLaren has won the last two Miami races — Lando Norris in 2024 and Oscar Piastri in 2025 — making them the team to beat on this circuit.
Formula 1 is back on American soil for the first time in the 2026 season. Miami kicks off a run of three U.S. races on the calendar, alongside the United States Grand Prix in Austin and the Las Vegas Grand Prix later in the season.
The Miami Grand Prix arrives as the season’s fourth round after an unusual disruption — the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix were cancelled this year due to safety concerns in the region. With the unanticipated break, the Miami Sprint weekend is even more exciting than ever before.
Here’s your complete guide to watching the 2026 F1 Miami Grand Prix live on TV.
How to Watch the F1 Miami Grand Prix
The main event of the weekend, the 2026 Miami Grand Prix, starts on Sunday, May 3 at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT. For US fans, you’ll need an Apple TV subscription to watch this race — and every race this season — since the partnership between F1 and ESPN ended in 2025.
F1 TV Premium, which gives you access to every session, plus onboard cameras, driver tracker overlays and team radio feeds, is included with an Apple TV subscription, allowing you to keep up with even more of the action.
F1 TV Premium is also available to purchase independently of Apple TV.
2026 Miami Grand Prix Schedule and Session Times
Here’s the complete Miami Grand Prix race weekend schedule. All times are Eastern Time (ET).
- Friday, May 1: Free Practice 1, 12:00 p.m. ET (90 minutes) | Sprint Qualifying, 4:00 p.m. ET
- Saturday, May 2: Sprint Race, 12:00 p.m. ET | Qualifying, 4:00 p.m. ET
- Sunday, May 3: Grand Prix, 4:00 p.m. ET
Check out the full 2026 Formula One race schedule here.
Miami Sprint Weekend Format
Miami runs the Sprint weekend format, which compresses more racing into less time by shifting the schedule compared to a standard F1 event. Roughly six weekends per season use this format, and Miami has been one of them since 2024.
In practice, a Sprint weekend means:
- Only one 90-minute practice session on Friday
- Sprint Qualifying takes place on Friday afternoon in three knockout segments:
- SQ1 lasts 12 minutes
- SQ2 runs 10 minutes
- SQ3 is an 8-minute shootout for the top 10
- Sprint takes place on Saturday and runs roughly 100 km — about one-third of the full Grand Prix distance, with no mandatory pit stops.
- Top eight finishers score championship points (8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1).
- After the Sprint, standard qualifying runs Saturday afternoon to set the grid for Sunday’s main race.
- The Sprint result has no bearing on Sunday’s starting positions — which is both the point and, for some fans, the frustration.
How Long is the Miami Grand Prix?
The Miami Grand Prix is 57 laps, 308 kilometers (197 miles) long. Each lap is about 5.4 kilometers or 3.3 miles long.
F1 Miami Grand Prix Previous Winners
Max Verstappen, currently the world’s highest-paid and most successful Formula 1 driver, dominated the opening chapters of this race’s short history, winning both the 2022 and 2023 editions for Red Bull Racing. The 2023 win was especially striking: he started ninth and carved through the field to take victory, clocking the fastest lap time on record of 1:29.708 that still stands today.
Then McLaren arrived. Lando Norris took his first Formula 1 victory in Miami in 2024 — an emotional moment after years of near-misses — and Oscar Piastri followed that up with a win in 2025, making McLaren the first constructor to win consecutive Miami Grand Prix with two different drivers. Heading into 2026, the pattern on this circuit is clear: McLaren has figured out something here that no other F1 teams have managed to yet match.
Get the latest drivers results and F1 standings here.
Miami GP 2026 Expectations
The 2026 season comes with entirely new technical regulations — a major reset for the whole grid. New aerodynamic rules, new power unit architecture and a revised points system have shuffled the competitive order in ways that won’t be fully clear until cars have run in race conditions for several rounds.
With Bahrain and Saudi Arabia cancelled, Miami is only the fourth race of the year, which means the championship picture is still taking shape. Any team that has unlocked pace on this type of circuit early could turn Sunday into a statement.
And you can watch it all happen live with an F1 TV or Apple TV subscription.
Find out how you can sign up for Apple TV through your DIRECTV account so you can watch all your favorite live sports on the same interface. Or connect your existing Apple TV account!
Frequently asked questions
What channel is the 2026 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix on?
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What is a Sprint weekend in Formula 1?
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