Imola axed from 2026 F1 calendar, two races in Spain

The 2026 Formula One season will start on March 8 in Australia and end on Dec 6 in Abu Dhabi. PHOTO: REUTERS

UPDATED Jun 10, 2025, 02:37 PM

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PARIS – Formula One will have two races in Spain next season with Madrid’s new street circuit making its debut in September and Italy’s Imola dropping off the 24-round calendar, F1 and the governing FIA announced on June 10.

Melbourne’s Australian Grand Prix will again be the season-opener on March 8 with China’s Shanghai circuit hosting round two a week later, as the sport enters a new engine era with Cadillac also arriving as an 11th team.

Japan will be round three as a standalone event on March 29.

Monaco will be the first European round on June 7, swapping dates with Canada, whose race in Montreal moves to May 24 and follows Miami on May 3.

Canada, which clashes with the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race this year, is now set to overlap instead with the Indianapolis 500.

Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, which is entering the final year of its current contract and will no longer be designated the Spanish Grand Prix, is scheduled for June 14.

Madrid’s Madring, a part-street layout around the city’s IFEMA exhibition centre, will be the last race in Europe on Sept 13 and the weekend after the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

The Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, due to drop off the calendar after 2026, will be held on Aug 23 as a sprint weekend.

The Singapore Grand Prix will take place on Oct 11.

The season will then end in Abu Dhabi on Dec 6, immediately after Qatar.

“We are excited to welcome Madrid to the calendar, and to see huge automotive brands like Audi, Cadillac and Ford join the Formula One grid,” said Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali.

“It promises to be an unforgettable season, where once again we will come together at 24 amazing global venues to watch the best drivers in the world push themselves to the limit and produce incredible wheel to wheel racing for our millions of fans watching around the globe.”

Swiss-based Sauber will become the Audi works team in 2026 while Ford are partnering with Red Bull. Formula One will also have 100 per cent sustainable fuel.

Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will again be held on successive weekends in April due to Ramadan taking place in February and March.

The calendar has been organised to create more of a geographical flow, which Formula One said would deliver significant freight efficiencies and help the sport’s sustainability push.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the FIA, added: “Next year’s FIA Formula One World Championship marks a significant new chapter for our sport. A new race, new teams, and the arrival of new manufacturers, all ushering in a fresh era of innovation and competition.

“With 24 Grands Prix across five continents, the season truly reflects the global nature of our community, while the improved geographical flow of the calendar shows our joint commitment to making the championship more efficient and sustainable.”

There will be a total of six back-to-back race weekends, with two triple headers of three in a row starting with Austin, Mexico and Brazil and ending with Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

The FIA did not detail the sprint events, other than Zandvoort which has already been confirmed.

Calendar:

March 8 - Australia, MelbourneMarch 15 - China, ShanghaiMarch 29 - Japan, SuzukaApril 12 - Bahrain, SakhirApril 19 - Saudi Arabia, JeddahMay 3 - United States, MiamiMay 24 - Canada, MontrealJune 7 - MonacoJune 14 - Spain, BarcelonaJune 28 - Austria, SpielbergJuly 5 - Britain, SilverstoneJuly 19 - Belgium, Spa-FrancorchampsJuly 26 - Hungary, BudapestAugust 23 - Netherlands, ZandvoortSeptember 6 - Italy, MonzaSeptember 13 - Spain, MadridSeptember 27 - Azerbaijan, BakuOctober 11 - SingaporeOctober 25 - United States, AustinNovember 1 - Mexico, Mexico CityNovember 8 - Brazil, Sao PauloNovember 21 - United States, Las Vegas November 29 - QatarDecember 6 - Abu Dhabi

REUTERS

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