Could the 2026 Formula 1 season begin with a triple header?

There is a rumour that the next season will now start with a tripleheader. A Japan-based site, As-web, is reporting that the change could happen in 2026.

Rumor has it that the new Formula 1 season will kick off with a triple header. Instead of a break between the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix, it would be back-to-back races with the Australian, Chinese, and Japanese Grands Prix. The exact order as in the current season, but within a span of three weeks instead of four. Due to Ramadan, starting the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia would be impossible, meaning we would have a triple header with Australia, China, and Japan. 

Australian Grand Prix returns as season opener

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Australian Grand Prix has not been held as the first race on the calendar, but this year, for the first time in several years, it moved back to the place it once held. The drivers kicked off the new Formula 1 season in Melbourne, at the Albert Park Street Circuit. The Australian Grand Prix saw Lando Norris take the 1,029-day championship lead from Max Verstappen. 

The new regulations will come into effect in 2026, meaning that drivers and teams will also be adjusting to them and the new schedule simultaneously. 

This article was written in collaboration with Esteban den Toom.