F1 fans FUME over 'absolutely outrageous!' grand prix ticket price hike

start, abu dhabi, verstappen, norris, piastri — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

F1 fans FUME over 'absolutely outrageous!' grand prix ticket price hike

Fans were not happy about a ticket price increase

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 6 February 2026 12:57

F1 fans on social media were left bemused by a reported price hike for tickets to the 2026 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

We are now a month away from the start of the 2026 campaign, which will once again be a long, gruelling 24-race season.

It is set to be the joint-longest in F1 history, and kicks off on March 8 with the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Article continues under video

The season-ending Abu Dhabi GP is then not until December 6, with the Yas Marina Circuit once again playing host to the final grand prix weekend of the season, for the 15th time.

But already the early-bird ticket prices appear to have been released for the weekend, which could be set for yet another final race title showdown.

According to information from fans on social media, the prices have increased from 5654AED (£1128) to 6200AED (£1237), a price increase of around £110 compared to this time last year.

"Absolutely outrageous," one user on X described it, before another commented: "F1 has done so well to open up the sport, but they really need to make sure they don't kill it. Feels just pure greed/profiteering at the moment."

Another social media user said: "Yep, it’s all going corporate crazy prizes, won’t be going Silverstone again."

However, another pointed to a more sensible price hike for the Belgian GP, hinting that it is not an F1-wide problem: "The tickets we have for Spa are only five euro more expensive than last year," they said.

GPFans have contacted the Abu Dhabi GP for their response as to why ticket prices have gone up so dramatically.

F1 2026 DRIVER LINEUP: F1 grid SET as Red Bull complete driver jigsaw puzzle

2026 F1 calendar

F1 is heading to 24 venues once again in 2026, across 21 different countries.

The new addition is a new Madrid track, which is the new home of the Spanish Grand Prix, with the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya becoming simply the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix in 2026.

Meanwhile, the iconic Imola track has dropped off the calendar, with Stefano Domenicali keen not to have too many instances where countries host more than one race per season.

There will also be six sprint weekends once again in 2026, but three of the tracks hosting them next year have never previously held a sprint race.

China and Miami will be sprint weekends as they have been for the last few years, while Silverstone is holding its first sprint race since the 2021 season.

On top of this, Montreal, Zandvoort and Singapore are all holding sprint races for the first time, with usual candidates Qatar and Brazil reverting back to standard race weekends in 2026.

There seems to be a conscious effort to get the sprint events done and dusted a little earlier in the season in 2026, with October hosting the final one in the schedule.

That is in stark comparison to 2025, when three of the six sprint weekends were held during the last six races of the year.

When does the 2026 F1 season start?

The drivers will be back in action when the 2026 season starts in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix.

The first race of the year takes place on March 8 at 3pm local time (AEDT), 4am GMT and 11pm ET, with practice and qualifying taking place on the Friday and Saturday that weekend.

F1 TESTING 2026: Key dates, times and how to watch live

F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix