F1 Miami Grand Prix sole FP1 to be extended to 90 minutes

The opening practice session for the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix has been extended and will now run for 90 minutes, when the sport finally returns.

Feature image credit: Getty Images // Red Bull Content Pool

After a five-week break, following the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – due to the Iran conflict, F1 will finally return with the Miami Grand Prix.

It has been announced that the opening Free Practice 1 session will be extended to 90 minutes instead of the usual one-hour time slot, which means it will get underway from 12:00pm to 1:30pm local time.

The decision was confirmed by the FIA, following consultation with all of the F1 stakeholders, and agreed that the sole practice session would be adjusted in line with the refinements that were recently announced.

Miami Grand Prix Free Practice 1 extended to 90 mins 🇺🇸#FIA #F1 #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/jC7Kn3WLQU

— FIA (@fia) April 23, 2026

In their announcement, the FIA said:

“This decision has been taken in recognition of the gap since the last Grand Prix, the recently announced regulatory and technical adjustments, and the fact that as the Miami Grand Prix operates under the Sprint format which reduces the amount of practice time available over the course of the weekend.”

F1’s original schedule will remain as planned, with FP1 being the only adjustment. Sprint Qualifying will get underway at 4:30pm local, later that day.

The sprint race itself will remain in its 12pm slot ahead of qualifying for the grand prix at 4pm, with the main race itself starting at 4pm on Sunday.

Valtteri Bottas race-worn 2026 helmet to be sold at auction

F1’s return and the Miami Grand Prix will get underway this weekend on May 1 – 3, 2026.

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Valtteri Bottas race-worn 2026 helmet to be sold at auction
• Formula 1 confirms Turkish Grand Prix return from 2027
• FIA confirm ‘refinements’ to current F1 2026 regulations ahead of Miami GP
• 3 Winners and Losers so far in F1 2026
• Max Verstappen race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to leave Red Bull
• How Bahrain found its place in Formula 1

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.