FIA extends Miami FP1 to 90 minutes as stakeholders respond to long break and 2026 adjustments
Free Practice One (FP1) at the Miami Grand Prix has been extended from 60 to 90 minutes. This is a rare and significant schedule change, moving the session to 12:00 -13:30 local time on the first of May. The Miami Grand Prix is a sprint weekend which traditionally only allows for a single 60 minute practice session before cars enter “Parc Ferme” (locked setups). Given the massive regulatory changes and the long break, the FIA (Federation Internationale L’Automobile) deemed 60 minutes “insufficient” as well as potentially dangerous. The 90 minute session prevents a situation where teams start the sprint with unsafe or experimental setups.
Miami is the second sprint weekend of 2026 which creates a logistical nightmare under the new rules. Normally, teams only get 60 minutes of practice before their car setups are “locked” for the rest of the weekend. Stakeholders argued that 60 minutes was “insufficient” to both shake off five weeks of rust and calibrate the new 2026 energy management software. The FIA agreed to the 90 minute extension to avoid a chaotic and potentially dangerous sprint session.
According to the official announcement from the FIA outlining the unprecedented reasons why a practice session is being extended during a sprint weekend.
“This decision has been taken in recognition of the gap since the last Grand Prix, the recently announced regulatory and technical adjustments, 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.”
Sprint weekends are designed to be “unpredictable” by limiting practice. However, this quote signals a rare moment where the FIA prioritised technical stability over entertainment admitting that 60 minutes was simply not enough to ensure a safe and fair competition under the revised 2026 rules.
The extension provides a lifeline to teams currently trailing Mercedes, who have mastered the initial 2026 rules. As a result of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia being cancelled, teams are arriving in Miami with triple upgrade packages (aero + mechanical + software). With 60 minutes would have made it impossible to “correlate” this much data: 90 minutes gives them a fighting chance to close the gap on championship leader Kimi Antonelli. While the extra time is helpful, teams face a “tyre trap.” They must decide whether to burn through their soft C5 allocation to test the new 350kW qualifying boost or save tyres for the race, potentially leading to a “quiet” middle 30 minutes of the session.
Extra time provides a massive advantage to teams currently chasing Mercedes and Antonelli. On the account of the five week “Spring break,” teams like Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren are bringing “triple threat” upgrade packages. Giving 90 minutes allows them to properly “correlate” this data – something impossible in the usual 60 minute sprint format. For championship leader Antonelli, the extra time is a crucial safety net to shake off five weeks of “rust.”
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