Madrid makes debut as Imola dropped from 2026

The race in Madrid will run on a new 5.47km circuit around the Ifema exhibition centre between the Spanish capital and Barajas airport

The new Madrid Grand Prix will be held as the final race of an uninterrupted European section of the Formula 1 season next year.

Madrid, to be held on 11-13 September, will be a second race in Spain and replaces the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola in Italy in a schedule that remains at 24 races.

Madrid's debut is one of a number of changes, most of which have been made in an attempt to streamline transport and reduce carbon emissions.

Canada, traditionally held in early June, has moved to 22-24 May, the date that would have been expected to be filled by Monaco, which will now be held on 5-7 June.

The switch ensures that Canada follows the Miami race on 1-3 May, creating what F1 describes as "significant freight efficiencies as some equipment can move directly from one to the other".

2026 F1 calendar

Australia - 6-8 March

China - 13-15 March

Japan - 27-29 March

Bahrain - 10-12 April

Saudi Arabia - 17-19 April

Miami - 1-3 May

Canada - 22-24 May

Monaco - 5-7 June

Spain (Barcelona) - 12-14 June

Austria - 26-28 June

Great Britain - 3-5 July

Belgium - 17-19 July

Hungary - 24-26 July

Netherlands - 21-23 August

Italy - 4-6 September

Spain (Madrid) - 11-13 September

Azerbaijan - 25-27 September

Singapore - 9-11 October

United States (Austin) - 23-25 October

Mexico - 30 October-1 November

Brazil - 6-8 November

Las Vegas - 19-21 November

Qatar - 27-29 November

Abu Dhabi - 4-6 December

Every race from Monaco on the first weekend in June to Madrid is then in Europe, before the Azerbaijan event on 25-27 September kicks off the final intercontinental part of the season.

The moves are in line with F1's new rules, in which revised engines run on 100% sustainable fuels.

The season starts in Melbourne, Australia, on 6-8 March. The Bahrain Grand Prix, which has become the most common opening race, is again in April as a result of the timing of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Bahrain and the Saudi Arabian race will be held a week apart, but unlike this year there is a two-week gap between the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix in March after Australia, rather than the one of this season.

The British Grand Prix will be held on 3-5 July, and the season will mark the final appearance of the Dutch Grand Prix. It will be held at Zandvoort on 21-23 August.

The traditional Spanish race at Barcelona retains its place on 12-14 June as it fulfils the last year of its existing contract.

The season ends with two groups of three races on consecutive weekends - the US Grand Prix in Austin on 23-25 October followed by Mexico and Brazil, and then the Las Vegas Grand Prix on 19-21 November followed by Qatar and Abu Dhabi, which brings the season to a close on 4-6 December.

Why has Imola been dropped?

The 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola attracted a record weekend crowd of 242,000 fans

Imola was always likely to be the next race dropped from the calendar as a result of pressure on the number of events.

F1's contracts dictate that 25 is the maximum number of races, but F1 chairman Stefano Domenicali has said that he believes 24 is the ideal number as a compromise that satisfies the desire for expansion but does not put too many demands on those who work on the sport.

Imola returned to the schedule in 2020 after a 14-year absence as F1 looked for venues that could fill the calendar in the middle of the pandemic, when travel was heavily restricted.

A way was found to keep it on the calendar afterwards because the local region of Emilia-Romagna and the Italian government saw its promotional value - and because Domenicali was keen for it to stay as he is from the town.

But the idea of countries having more than one race is likely to die away because of the pressure of demand for new locations.

And the pressure on European races can be seen from the fact that Zandvoort is hosting its last race next year, having returned to the calendar in 2021.

Meanwhile, Spa in Belgium, regarded as one of the greatest race tracks in the world, starts a six-year contract from 2026 in which it will host only four races - to run in 2026, 2027, 2029 and 2031.

Thailand is pushing to host a grand prix in Bangkok, and F1 is keen to have a race in Africa, although finding a host venue is not proving easy.

The prospects of a race in Rwanda have diminished, South Africa is proving hard to progress as Cape Town and Kyalami vie to make races work, and there is a project in Morocco, in the coastal city Tangier, but it does not have the funding.

Spain having two races next year is a quirk of the fact that Barcelona still had a contract for 2026 while Madrid, which was intended to replace it, is scheduled to make its debut.

But that situation is unlikely to continue beyond next year, even if Barcelona is still in talks to be one of the European races that rotates into the calendar some years and misses others.