There is no room for Italy's iconic Imola track on the 24-race 2026 calendar of top-tier motor racing series Formula 1 (F1), published today.
Imola has been replaced with the Ifema Madrid circuit in the Spanish capital, which was unveiled as making its F1 debut back in January 2024. That race will take place on September 13.
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Next year will mark the first time in six years that the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy, does not appear on an F1 calendar.
The track, which first staged a Grand Prix in 1980, was made infamous by the death of iconic Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna in 1994, and initially stopped hosting F1 action in 2007. It returned in 2020, but F1 chose not to renew its hosting contract after its latest deal, which started in 2022 and expires at the end of 2025.
Overall, the 24 Grands Prix next year – in a significant season for F1 – will run between March 8 in Melbourne, Australia, and December 6 in Abu Dhabi, across five of the globe's seven continents.
The 2026 campaign will see a wave of new regulations around how the teams can set their cars up, regarding power units and aerodynamics, while the Cadillac brand of US automotive giant General Motors will become the series' 11th team, bringing the grid up to 22 cars each race.
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By GlobalDataIn terms of dividing the season into regions, the season will start with four Asian events (China, Japan, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, as well as the event in Melbourne), while the nine races between early June (Monaco) and mid-September (Madrid) will all be held in Europe. The latter swing will take in events in locations such as Spain, Austria, the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands – Zandvoort's last Grand Prix – and Italy's Monza.
Two Spanish locations – Madrid and Barcelona – are on next year's calendar, with the Barcelona circuit's contract currently set to expire after the 2026 race.
Across October and November, meanwhile, four consecutive Grands Prix will take place in the Americas – Austin, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, and Las Vegas – before the season finishes with races in Qatar and then Abu Dhabi.
Changes from this year's 24-race schedule – with nine races having taken place so far – include the Canadian Grand Prix switching to a slightly earlier slot in late May, directly following the lucrative Miami GP.
Stefano Domenicali, Formula 1's president and chief executive, said: "2026 will be a new era for Formula 1 where we will witness a brand-new set of regulations for our sport, the cars and the engines that will be powered by 100% sustainable fuel.
"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."
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of motor racing's FIA governing body, added: "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."
Cadillac's entry into F1 has come through a partnership between General Motors and motorsports ownership group TWG Global.
The bid for it to become F1's 11th team in 2026 was accepted and rubber-stamped by the series' hierarchy late last year.
