Formula 1 has three races in the United States in 2026. Each one is a different experience. Miami is a spectacle and a social event. Austin is the home of American F1 fandom: the crowd that came for the racing and genuinely loves the sport. Las Vegas is the most visually extreme race on the calendar, a night race on the Strip unlike anything else in motorsport. This guide covers all three, including how to watch, when to go, and what to expect.
New to Formula 1? Start with our complete beginner's guide to F1 before reading on.
How to watch F1 in the US in 2026
The biggest change for American F1 fans in 2026: the sport moved from ESPN to Apple TV. Apple TV signed an exclusive five-year deal to broadcast all Formula 1 races in the United States. Every session (practice, qualifying, sprint, race) is streamed live on Apple TV. F1 TV remains available as a secondary option for dedicated fans who want additional onboard cameras, team radio, and archive content.
If you have Apple TV or an Apple One subscription, you already have access. Apple TV offers monthly subscriptions without a long-term contract. T-Mobile subscribers can access a discounted rate. The shift from ESPN means everything is in one place.
US race weekends run at civilised times for American viewers. Miami (1pm ET on race day), Austin (3pm CT) and Las Vegas (10pm PT) are all designed for prime time viewing.
Miami Grand Prix
Circuit: Miami International Autodrome, Miami Gardens, Florida
2026 race date: Sunday 3 May (Round 4 of the season)
Format: Sprint weekend
Miami joined the F1 calendar in 2022 and immediately became the most talked-about race in the United States. The circuit sits inside the Hard Rock Stadium complex in Miami Gardens, home to the Miami Dolphins. The paddock is inside the stadium itself. The 19-turn, 5.41km layout is designed to feel like a street circuit while providing the safety of a permanent facility.
Past winners tell the story of the current era: Verstappen won the first two editions in 2022 and 2023. Lando Norris won in 2024, his first ever F1 victory. Oscar Piastri won in 2025. The race has been McLaren's most productive venue in the modern era.
What to expect at Miami
Miami is the most celebrity-attended race on the calendar. Sports stars, musicians and influencers treat it as much a social occasion as a motorsport event. The paddock club and hospitality areas are among the most high-profile in F1. If you are attending for the atmosphere and the sense of occasion, Miami delivers all of it.
The racing itself has improved with each edition. The circuit's long straights create genuine overtaking opportunities, and the sprint weekend format means more on-track action across the entire weekend. The fake marina (a section where boats park up to watch the action from the water) is one of the more surreal design features of any circuit in the world.
Getting to Miami
The circuit is in Miami Gardens, about 20 miles north of downtown Miami. Driving is not recommended on race day. Use rideshare to a designated drop-off point or take the official shuttles from downtown. Miami International Airport is the closest major hub, about 12 miles from the circuit.
Miami tickets
Miami is among the most expensive race weekends on the calendar. General admission starts at several hundred dollars per day. Grandstand and hospitality options run significantly higher. Book early. The race sells out consistently and resale prices rise sharply as the weekend approaches.
United States Grand Prix: Austin, Texas
Circuit: Circuit of the Americas (COTA), Austin, Texas
2026 race date: Sunday 25 October (weekend 23-25 October)
Format: Standard weekend
The United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas is the home race of American F1 fandom. Where Miami attracts a broad celebrity crowd, Austin attracts people who came for the racing. The atmosphere in the grandstands is louder, more knowledgeable and more genuinely passionate than almost anywhere else on the calendar.
COTA was purpose-built for F1 and opened in 2012. The 5.5km, 20-corner circuit borrows from some of the sport's most iconic sequences: Turn 1 is modelled on Eau Rouge at Spa, Turn 12 on the Maggotts-Becketts complex at Silverstone. It rewards both mechanical grip and aerodynamic efficiency and consistently produces good racing. The current championship fight features Norris, Piastri and Verstappen. All three were in Austin in 2025 for a title fight that went down to the final race of the season.
The concert factor
COTA has integrated live music into the race weekend more than any other circuit on the calendar. Major concerts take place across the weekend on stages inside the circuit. Past performers have included Taylor Swift, Elton John, Bruno Mars and Billy Joel. The result is a race weekend that works as a general entertainment destination as well as a pure motorsport event. Check the COTA concert schedule when planning your trip.
What to expect at Austin
Austin rewards exploration. The hill at Turn 1 is the highest point on the circuit and gives a panoramic view of most of the lap. The grandstands in the stadium section near Turns 12-15 create an enclosed atmosphere that feels unique in F1. General admission allows you to move around the circuit and find the best viewing positions across the weekend.
The city of Austin adds to the appeal. Live music venues, Tex-Mex, barbecue, and a college-town energy that makes the evenings after the track sessions as entertaining as the sessions themselves. Stay downtown for the best access to the city.
Getting to Austin
COTA is southeast of Austin, close to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Rideshare and shuttle services run from downtown Austin and the airport throughout the race weekend. Traffic on race day is significant. Allow extra time in both directions. Dallas Fort Worth is the nearest major alternative hub for flights.
Austin tickets
COTA offers a wider range of ticket options than Miami at more accessible price points. General admission is available from around $100 per day. Grandstand options across multiple corners of the circuit cover different viewing preferences and budgets. Book well in advance. The race consistently draws over 400,000 attendees across the weekend and hospitality options sell out months ahead.
Las Vegas Grand Prix
Circuit: Las Vegas Strip Circuit, Las Vegas, Nevada
2026 race date: Saturday night 21 November (weekend 19-21 November)
Format: Standard weekend
Las Vegas is the most visually spectacular race on the F1 calendar. A night race on a street circuit built around the Strip, with the neon of the casinos as the backdrop, there is no other event in motorsport that looks like it. The circuit passes the Bellagio, the MGM Grand, and the Sphere. The race takes place on Saturday night, uniquely on the calendar, starting at 10pm local time.
The circuit is 6.2km with three long straights that allow top speeds of over 340 km/h. Overtaking happens most frequently at the end of the longest straight into the Turn 14 chicane, one of the clearest braking zones in the sport. Verstappen won the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix in 2023.
What to expect at Las Vegas
Las Vegas delivers an experience that is impossible to replicate anywhere else on the calendar. The city is built for events of exactly this scale. Hotels, restaurants and entertainment infrastructure exist in a concentration that no other race venue can match. The race is the event, and the city is the venue in a way that is more complete than even Monaco.
Watching from the grandstands at night, with the Strip lit up and F1 cars hitting 340 km/h against that backdrop, is genuinely unlike anything else in motorsport. The Sphere grandstand provides some of the most distinctive views of any race anywhere in the world.
The timing
The 10pm local start time means the race finishes around midnight Las Vegas time. For East Coast US viewers it's 1am, which makes Apple TV's on-demand replay function more relevant than at any other race on the calendar. For anyone attending in person, Las Vegas at midnight after an F1 race is self-explanatory.
Getting to Las Vegas
Harry Reid International Airport is directly adjacent to the Strip and exceptionally well-connected from every major US hub. The circuit is walkable from most Strip hotels, which is unique among F1 venues. No other race on the calendar allows you to walk from your hotel to your grandstand seat.
Las Vegas tickets
Las Vegas is among the most expensive race weekends on the calendar, comparable to Miami. The Sphere grandstand and premium viewing areas along the Strip command significant premiums. General admission options exist but the circuit layout (primarily along the Strip and through a casino car park) limits viewing from non-grandstand positions more than at purpose-built circuits. If you are going to Las Vegas, the grandstand investment is worth making.
Which race should you attend
The honest answer depends on what you are after.
Miami is the event to attend if the experience around the racing is as important as the racing itself. The spectacle, the atmosphere, the sense of occasion. The racing has improved but the weekend is as much a cultural moment as a motorsport one.
Austin is the race to attend if you are primarily there for the Formula 1. The crowd is more knowledgeable, the circuit more interesting to walk, and the city provides a genuine backdrop rather than a stage set. The concert programming adds to the appeal without overwhelming it.
Las Vegas is the race to attend if you want to see something that cannot exist anywhere else. The combination of a night race, the Strip backdrop, and the city infrastructure creates an event with no equivalent in any other sport.
If you can only go to one: Austin is the most complete F1 experience. Miami is the most spectacular social event. Las Vegas is the most unforgettable single night.
The drivers to watch in 2026
The 2026 season has opened under new regulations with Mercedes emerging as the early frontrunner, led by rookie Kimi Antonelli. But the championship is long and the established names are not going away.
- Lando Norris is the reigning World Champion, defending with McLaren.
- Oscar Piastri came within two points of the 2025 title and enters 2026 as a genuine favourite.
- Max Verstappen won four consecutive championships and has never finished a season without winning races.
Not sure who to follow? Our beginner's guide to F1 covers all the teams, all the drivers, and everything you need to know to actually follow the sport.
Wall art for F1 fans
Whether you are heading to Miami, Austin or Las Vegas, or watching from home on Apple TV, the Deckorate F1 collection covers the current grid and the legends who built the sport.
