Miami FP1 Extended

Formula 1 has extended the Miami Grand Prix’s only practice session from 60 minutes to 90 minutes before the Sprint weekend begins. (fia.com) The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile said on April 23 that Free Practice 1 will now run from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. local time on Friday, May 1. Track activity scheduled before that session will move forward by 30 minutes. (fia.com) Formula 1’s official site said the rest of the Miami timetable stays in place: Sprint Qualifying at 4:30 p.m. local time on Friday, the Sprint at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, qualifying at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, and the Grand Prix at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 3. (formula1.com) A Sprint weekend gives teams only one practice session before competitive running starts. In Miami, that meant one hour to check setup, tires, and reliability before Sprint Qualifying locked in Friday’s first meaningful order. (formula1.com) The FIA said the extra 30 minutes reflects three factors: the gap since the last Grand Prix, recently announced regulatory and technical adjustments, and Miami’s Sprint format, which cuts practice time across the weekend. (fia.com) The 2026 sporting regulations still list Sprint weekends with a single free practice session before Sprint Qualifying, so Miami’s longer Friday session is a timetable change rather than a season-wide rewrite. The same regulations also give race officials control of session timetables during a competition. (fia.com) Miami is the fourth round of the 2026 season and the first race after a five-week break, according to Formula 1’s official event coverage. The schedule change gives teams more live track time at the first race back before the series resumes its run of spring events. (formula1.com) The immediate effect is simple: teams get an extra half-hour on Friday, and Miami keeps its status as a Sprint weekend with only one practice window before competitive sessions begin. The first cars are now due on track for that session at noon local time on May 1. (fia.com)