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SUSIE WOLFF Unveils F1 Academy’s New 3-Race Weekend Format

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April 1, 2026

GRRL! SUMMARY:

  • SUSIE WOLFF, F1 Academy Managing Director, announced a new three-race weekend format debuting at select 2026 rounds, adding an Opening Race alongside the Reverse Grid and Feature Races.
  • The Opening Race grid is set by each driver’s second-fastest qualifying time, adding strategic depth to the existing 30-minute session and rewarding consistency over a single hot lap.
  • Full championship points apply to the Opening Race, including one point for fastest lap, keeping the standings implications meaningful across all three races on those weekends.
  • Head of Race Operations DELPHINE BISCAYE emphasized the format protects sporting integrity while offering operational flexibility, including the ability to replace a postponed race within the F1 support schedule.
  • The format debuts at Round 2 in Montreal and returns at Round 5 in Austin, restoring the 2026 calendar to 14 races after the Saudi Arabian GP round was dropped.

UPCOMING:

  • F1 Academy Round 2 – Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal (date not stated, found Nov 1, 2026)
  • F1 Academy Round 5 – Circuit of the Americas, Austin (date not stated, found Nov 1, 2026)

LINKS TO RACER'S PROFILE PAGES:

SUSIE WOLFF

all-female f1 academy, circuit gilles villeneuve, circuit of the americas, formula 1

GRRL! summary based upon reporting by Olivia Perreault originally appearing on ticketnews.com