How to follow US Grand Prix on the BBC

Round 18 of the 2026 Formula 1 season heads to the Circuit of the Americas for the United States Grand Prix, from 23-25 October.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc topped both practice sessions in Austin, Texas, on Friday, beating championship leader Kimi Antonelli in the second hour by 0.042 seconds.

Singapore race winner Max Verstappen was third quickest, with the other Scuderia of Lewis Hamilton finishing fourth on the timesheets.

Mercedes’ Antonelli has the chance to secure his maiden drivers’ championship this weekend. To do it, he needs to win the race in Austin with team-mate George Russell ninth or lower and Hamilton finishing outside the top four.

The clocks go back in the UK on race day so we are on BST for the Friday and Saturday sessions but GMT for the race.

Lights out for Sunday’s 56-lap race will be at 20:00 GMT.

Session start times and BBC coverage

Commentary of the race will be available across BBC Radio 5 Live, 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app.

You can also ask your smart speaker to “play 5 Live”, for example.

Make sure to listen to every episode of the Chequered Flag podcast. For the first time this year, the post-race show for every grand prix is available to watch on BBC iPlayer and YouTube.

Third practice: 18:30-19:30 BST – 5 Sports Extra

Qualifying: 22:00-23:00 BST – 5 Sports Extra

Race: 20:00 GMT with build-up from 19:30 – 5 Live

What is the Austin weather forecast?

The forecast says it will be sunny and warm across the weekend in Austin, with a gentle breeze and highs of 30C for Saturday’s qualifying session.

Sunday’s race, which starts at 3pm local time, is set to be dry with temperatures reaching 29C.