After rain disrupted the 2026 CTFROT Round 3 and forced organisers to abandon and then reschedule Race 2 on Saturday, the series has now confirmed a revised schedule for the 70th New Zealand Grand Prix. Highlands Motorsport Park will host the landmark event, which will also serve as the final round of the 2026 CTFROT, ensuring maximum stakes to close the season.
Although weather chaos reshaped the calendar, officials have responded with a compact yet demanding timetable that blends recovery with tradition.
Friday: Practice and unfinished Round 3 business
First, Thursday will feature two rounds of testing, setting the tone for a busy race week. Then, as usual for the 2026 CTFROT, Friday will open with three practice sessions, allowing teams to fine-tune their cars at altitude.
However, the day will not end quietly. Instead, organisers have slotted in the rescheduled Round 3 Race 3, replacing the cancelled Saturday contest. Only 18 drivers are expected to start, as Liam Sceats will sit out and James Wharton remains unlikely to compete, having missed the rest of Round 3 due to European commitments.
Friday schedule
- Practice 1: 09:00 – 30 minutes
- Practice 2: 11:45 – 30 minutes
- Practice 3: 14:25 – 30 minutes
- Round 3, Race 3 (rescheduled): 17:20 – 16 laps
Saturday: Qualifying reshaped
Next, Saturday will mark a clear departure from recent rounds. Instead of split qualifying sessions across two days, the field will contest a single three-phase Qualifying session on Saturday morning. This format will decide the grid outright and heighten early pressure.
Later in the afternoon, drivers will tackle Race 1. Notably, no second race will follow, giving teams time to regroup before Sunday’s decisive showdown.
Saturday schedule
- Qualifying: 10:43
- Q1: 15 minutes
- Q2: 10 minutes
- Q3: 12 minutes
- Race 1: 15:51 – 18 laps
Sunday: The grand finale
Finally, Sunday will deliver the climax. Race 2 will open the day before attention turns fully to the 70th New Zealand Grand Prix itself. At 27 laps, the feature race will stand as the longest and most physically demanding contest of the season.
Crucially, drivers will fight not only for one of motorsport’s most historic trophies, but also for the 2026 CTFROT title.
Sunday schedule
- Race 2: 11:50 – 18 laps
- 70th New Zealand Grand Prix: 16:33 – 27 laps
All times given in local time
