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Formula 1’s second half begins in the North Sea dunes. Round 12 takes the grid to Circuit Zandvoort for the Formula 1 Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2026, running August 21–23 over 72 laps of the 4.259km circuit. It’s the fifth of six sprint weekends in 2026 and the first sprint Zandvoort has ever hosted — and, with the venue leaving the calendar for 2027, the last chance to see F1 cars attack its banking. Below is the complete timetable, from Friday’s car presentation to Sunday’s chequered flag.
Dutch Grand Prix 2026 Schedule: Every F1 Session at Zandvoort
The headline running order. All times are local to Zandvoort (UTC+2):
| Day | Session | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Aug 21 | Free Practice 1 | 12:30 – 13:30 |
| Fri, Aug 21 | Sprint Qualifying | 16:30 – 17:14 |
| Sat, Aug 22 | F1 Sprint (24 laps / 60 mins) | 12:00 |
| Sat, Aug 22 | Qualifying | 16:00 – 17:00 |
| Sun, Aug 23 | Dutch Grand Prix (72 laps / 120 mins) | 15:00 |
Friday’s single practice hour is followed by sprint qualifying, which sets the grid for Saturday’s 24-lap race. Grand Prix qualifying then follows in the late afternoon, deciding the order for Sunday. UK viewers should subtract one hour for British Summer Time.
What Time Does the Dutch GP Start Around the World?
Sunday’s race lights out at 15:00 CEST. Key markets:
| Region | Race start |
|---|---|
| UK (BST) | 14:00 |
| US Eastern (EDT) | 9:00 a.m. |
| US Pacific (PDT) | 6:00 a.m. |
| Brasília | 10:00 a.m. |
| Abu Dhabi | 5:00 p.m. |
| India (IST) | 6:30 p.m. |
| Japan (JST) | 10:00 p.m. |
| Australia (AEST) | 11:00 p.m. |
Saturday’s sprint at 12:00 CEST converts to 11:00 BST, 6:00 a.m. ET and 8:00 p.m. AEST — a rare Australian-friendly slot on a European weekend.
Full Zandvoort Timetable: Support Races and Off-Track Events
The complete weekend programme, including F1 ACADEMY, Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and press activity:
Friday, August 21
- 11:00 – 12:00 — FIA F1 Car Presentation
- 12:30 – 13:30 — F1 First Practice Session
- 14:00 – 14:40 — F1 ACADEMY Practice
- 14:30 – 15:30 — F1 Teams’ Press Conference
- 16:30 – 17:14 — F1 Sprint Qualifying
- 18:00 – 18:45 — Porsche Supercup Practice
Saturday, August 22
- 09:20 – 09:50 — F1 ACADEMY Qualifying
- 10:15 – 10:45 — Porsche Supercup Qualifying
- 12:00 — F1 Sprint (24 laps or 60 minutes)
- 12:30 – 13:00 — F1 Press Conference
- 14:35 – 15:10 — F1 ACADEMY Reverse Grid Race (17 laps)
- 16:00 – 17:00 — F1 Qualifying
- 17:00 – 18:00 — F1 Press Conference
- 18:00 – 18:35 — Porsche Supercup Race 1 (17 laps)
Sunday, August 23
- 10:30 – 11:05 — F1 ACADEMY Feature Race (17 laps)
- 11:45 – 12:20 — Porsche Supercup Race 2 (17 laps)
- 13:00 – 13:30 — F1 Drivers’ Parade
- 14:44 – 14:46 — National Anthem
- 15:00 – 17:00 — Dutch Grand Prix (72 laps or 120 minutes)
Timings are subject to change.
Why the Sprint Format Raises the Stakes at Zandvoort
This condensed schedule leaves only one free practice session before competitive running begins, which changes the whole rhythm of the weekend. Teams that build their programme quickly gain an outsized advantage; those who don’t are locked into a compromised setup for two races.
What that means in practice:
- Up to 33 points are on offer to a single driver across the sprint and the Grand Prix
- Friday’s sprint qualifying arrives with barely an hour of data behind it
- No recovery sessions — mistakes made on Friday carry through to Sunday
- Track position dominates at Zandvoort, where the run to Turn 1 is the clearest overtaking chance
For a first-ever sprint at a circuit this narrow and this fast, the margin for error is thin.
How to Watch the Dutch Grand Prix 2026: UK and US Coverage
Sky Sports F1 carries every session live in the UK, with coverage beginning on Thursday. Full UK schedule (BST):
Thursday, August 20 — 13:00 Drivers’ Press Conference · 16:00 Paddock Uncut
Friday, August 21 — 11:00 Practice build-up (session 11:30) · 12:55 F1 ACADEMY Practice · 14:30 Team Bosses’ Press Conference · 15:00 Sprint Qualifying build-up (session 15:30)
Saturday, August 22 — 08:15 F1 ACADEMY Qualifying · 10:00 Sprint build-up · 11:00 Dutch GP Sprint · 13:30 F1 ACADEMY Race 1 · 14:20 Qualifying build-up · 15:00 Dutch GP Qualifying · 17:00 Porsche Supercup Race 1
Sunday, August 23 — 09:35 F1 ACADEMY Race 2 · 10:50 Porsche Supercup Race 2 · 12:30 Grand Prix Sunday build-up · 14:00 The Dutch Grand Prix · 16:00 Chequered Flag reaction
Free-to-air highlights follow on Channel 4. In the US, coverage runs on ESPN, ESPN2, ABC and ESPN+, with Viaplay carrying the weekend in the Netherlands, Canal+ in France, Sky Deutschland and RTL in Germany, Sky Italia in Italy, DAZN in Spain and Portugal, FanCode in India, Fuji TV in Japan, Fox Sports and Kayo in Australia, and beIN SPORTS across the Middle East and Southeast Asia. F1 TV Pro streams every session live in selected countries, with free live timing on F1.com and the F1 app.
Championship Picture Heading into Round 12
Kimi Antonelli arrives with a 50-point lead over Lewis Hamilton, having won six of the first 11 races. George Russell sits third, 59 points behind his Mercedes team-mate. With the title picture beginning to firm up, Zandvoort gives Antonelli a chance to stretch that advantage at exactly the moment the calendar turns brutal.
- Round: 12 of the 2026 season
- Circuit: Circuit Zandvoort, Netherlands
- Laps: 72 · Circuit length: 4.259km
- 2025 winner: Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Sprint weekend: fifth of six in 2026, first ever at Zandvoort
- Status: final Dutch Grand Prix before the venue leaves the calendar in 2027
Dutch Grand Prix 2026 Schedule FAQ
What time does the Dutch Grand Prix start?
15:00 local time (CEST) on Sunday, August 23 — 14:00 BST and 9:00 a.m. ET.
When is Dutch GP qualifying?
16:00 – 17:00 CEST on Saturday, August 22. Sprint qualifying runs Friday at 16:30.
How long is the Zandvoort sprint?
24 laps, or a 60-minute maximum, starting at 12:00 CEST on Saturday.
How many practice sessions are there?
One. FP1 runs 12:30 – 13:30 CEST on Friday — the only practice running all weekend.
How many laps is the Dutch Grand Prix?
72 laps, with a two-hour maximum race time.
Is this the last Dutch Grand Prix?
Yes. Zandvoort drops off the F1 calendar from 2027, making this the final running of the event at the circuit.
What Zandvoort Sets Up for the Rest of 2026
This is the last standalone Grand Prix weekend of the season. After the Netherlands, the calendar compresses into the Monza–Madrid double-header and then three consecutive triple-headers — a run that leaves nobody room to fix a bad result. Antonelli’s cushion either holds through that sequence or it starts to shrink, and the first data point arrives on Sunday.
Add a home crowd sending Zandvoort off in style and a sprint format that rewards the quickest starters, and the second half of 2026 opens with a weekend that could set the tone for everything still to come.