The 2026 Belgian Grand Prix takes place from Friday 17th July to Sunday 19th July.
Below is the full timetable for the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa Francorchamps.
Contents
Belgian Grand Prix race weekend format
The 2026 Belgian Grand Prix is the 12th race on the Formula 1 calendar this year. It’s a normal race weekend, not a sprint.
The format of the different sessions across the weekend will be as follows:
Friday
- First practice session FP1 (60 mins)
- Second practice session FP2 (60 mins)
Saturday
- Third practice session (FP3)
- Qualifying session Q1 Q2 Q3 (60 mins)
Sunday
- Race (44 laps or 120 mins)
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Don’t miss another practice, qualifying sprint or Grand Prix this year. Includes all 24 race weekends.
The qualifying session on Saturday afternoon will decide the starting grid for the main Grand Prix race on Sunday.
The pressure of only getting one shot at a quick lap, combined with the lack of practice, may well lead to some mistakes being made when the drivers are pushing to set the fastest lap time at Spa Francorchamps.
2026 Belgian GP start time
The 2026 Belgian Grand Prix Formula 1 race starts at 3pm local time on Sunday 19th July. The race will last for either 44 laps or 120 minutes (whichever is shorter).
F1 Spa timetable 2026
Below is the F1 Spa timetable for the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix weekend. The timings shown are the local circuit times in Belgium, in the Central European Summer Time (CEST) zone.
| 2026 Belgian Grand Prix F1 Schedule | ||
|---|---|---|
| Friday 17th July | Local Time | UK Time |
| Practice 1 | 13:30 - 14:30 | 12:30 - 13:30 |
| Practice 2 | 17:00 - 18:00 | 16:00 - 17:00 |
| Saturday 18th July | ||
| Practice 3 | 12:30 - 13:30 | 11:30 - 12:30 |
| Qualifying | 16:00 - 17:00 | 15:00 - 16:00 |
| Sunday 19th July | ||
| Grand Prix | 15:00 | 14:00 |
What time is the Spa F1 race in my country?
The Spa F1 race will start at 15:00 local time (CEST) and will last for either 44 laps or 2 hours.
Below are the times for all the Belgian Grand Prix practice, qualifying, sprint and race sessions in a number of different time zones.
| Session | Spa Local Time CEST |
PT | CT | ET | BST (UK) | AEST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice 1 | 13:30 - Fri 17 July | 04:30 | 06:30 | 07:30 | 12:30 | 21:30 |
| Practice 2 | 17:00 - Fri 17 July | 08:00 | 10:00 | 11:00 | 16:00 | 01:00+1 |
| Practice 3 | 12:30 - Sat 18 July | 03:30 | 05:30 | 06:30 | 11:30 | 20:30 |
| Qualifying | 16:00 - Sat 18 July | 07:00 | 09:00 | 10:00 | 15:00 | 00:00+1 |
| Race | 15:00 - Sun 19 July | 06:00 | 08:00 | 09:00 | 14:00 | 23:00 |
What channel is the Belgian GP on?
UK viewers will be able to watch live coverage of the Belgian Grand Prix practice sessions, qualifying, Sprint shootout, Sprint race and main race on Sky Sports F1 if they have a paid subscription to that channel.
USA viewers can watch on ESPN with a subscription.
Coverage and pre-race build up usually begins around 60 to 90 minutes before the Belgian GP start time.
Highlights of the race will be available to view for free on Channel 4 in the evening.
International broadcast information can be found on the official Formula 1 website.
Gate opening times
If you’re lucky enough to be attending the Belgian Grand Prix in person it’s important to know what time to arrive if you want to try and get one of the best general admission viewing spots.
- Friday – 8:00am
- Saturday – 9:00am
- Sunday – 7:300am
If you’re attending the Spa F1 race weekend in person here are some useful guides:
F1 Spa detailed motorsport schedule
As well as the F1 there’ll be some other series racing during the Grand Prix weekend. In 2026 these are:
- FIA Formula 3
- FIA Formula 2
- Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup
| Friday 28th July 2023 | |
|---|---|
| 09:55 - 10:40 | FIA Formula 3 Practice Session |
| 11:05 - 11:50 | FIA Formula 2 Practice Session |
| 12:00 - 12:30 | Paddock Club Track Tour |
| 12:00 - 13:00 | Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk |
| 12:00 - 13:00 | FIA F1 Car Presentation |
| 12:30 - 12:50 | Formula 1 Historic F1 Cars Demonstration |
| 13:30 - 14:30 | FORMULA 1 FIRST PRACTICE SESSION |
| 15:00 - 15:30 | FIA Formula 3 Qualifying Session |
| 15:00 - 16:00 | Formula 1 Teams Press Conference |
| 15:55 - 16:25 | FIA Formula 2 Qualifying Session |
| 17:00 - 18:00 | FORMULA 1 QUALIFYING |
| 18:00 - 18:30 | Formula 1 Press Conference |
| 18:30 - 19:15 | Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Practice Session |
| 18:35 - 19:05 | FIA Formula 3 Press Conference |
| 19:10 - 19:40 | FIA Formula 2 Press Conference |
| 19:40 - 20:10 | Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk |
| 19:40 - 20:10 | Paddock Club Track Tour |
| Saturday 29th July 2023 | |
|---|---|
| 10:00 - 10:45 | FIA Formula 3 Sprint Race (15 Laps or 40 Mins +1 Lap) |
| 10:55 - 11:25 | Formula 1 Team Pit Stop Practice |
| 10:55 - 11:35 | Paddock Club Track Tour |
| 10:55 - 11:35 | Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk |
| 11:05 - 11:35 | FIA Formula 3 Press Conference |
| 12:00 - 12:44 | FORMULA 1 SPRINT SHOOTOUT |
| 13:45 - 14:35 | FIA Formula 2 Sprint Race (18 Laps or 45 Mins +1 Lap) |
| 14:55 - 15:25 | FIA Formula 2 Press Conference |
| 15:00 - 15:30 | Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Qualifying Session |
| 15:15 - 15:30 | Air Display Red Devils Aerobatic Display |
| 16:30 - 17:00 | FORMULA 1 SPRINT (15 Laps or 60 Mins) |
| 17:00 - 17:30 | Formula 1 Press Conference |
| 17:30 - 17:50 | Formula 1 Historic F1 Cars Demonstration |
| 17:45 - 18:30 | Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk |
| 17:50 - 18:20 | Paddock Club Track Tour |
| 18:30 - 19:30 | F1 Experiences Champions Club Grid Walk & Trophy Photo |
| Sunday 30th July 2023 | |
|---|---|
| 08:30 - 09:20 | FIA Formula 3 Feature Race (18 Laps or 45 Mins +1 Lap) |
| 10:00 - 11:05 | FIA Formula 2 Feature Race (25 Laps or 60 Mins +1 Lap) |
| 11:25 - 11:55 | FIA Formula 2 Press Conference |
| 11:45 - 12:20 | Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Race (12 Laps or 30 Mins) |
| 12:25 - 12:45 | Formula 1 Historic F1 Cars Demonstration |
| 12:45 - 13:15 | Paddock Club Track Tour |
| 12:45 - 13:45 | Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk |
| 12:50 - 13:20 | Formula 1 Drivers' Parade |
| 14:46 - 14:48 | Formula 1 National Anthem |
| 15:00 - 17:00 | FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX (44 LAPS OR 120 MINS) |
Hi, do you know if there will be an opportunity to meet the drivers? Sometimes they are invited to chat with the audience or to an interview?
Hi Dominika, there will be various appearances from the drivers over the weekend where they’ll do interviews on the stage in the F1 Fanzone at the bottom of Eau Rouge and Raidillon. The timings of these normally change from race to race so have a look at the specific Stage timetable when you get to the circuit.
Do you know which cars will drive at historic demonstration laps?
Hi Robin, I’m afraid I don’t know for sure for 2023, but here’s a video from the 2022 demo laps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_YtgoXcBWY
does anything happen at the track on a thursday
Not at Spa