Spain to get two F1 races in 2026 with Madrid debut; Italy's Imola dropped
Formula One will have two races in Spain next season as Madrid's new street circuit makes its debut in September, but Italy sees its Imola race dropped off in the new 24-race calendar, motorsport's governing body and F1 organisers have announced.
The new calendar, announced on Tuesday, confirmed that 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.
The sport is set to enter a new engine era with Cadillac arriving as the 11th team.
'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,' Formula One Chief Executive Stefano Domenicali said.
Swiss-based Sauber will become the Audi works team in 2026, while Ford will partner with Red Bull. Formula One will also have 100 percent sustainable fuel.
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 September 13, 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 August 23 as a sprint weekend.
The season will end in Abu Dhabi on December 6, immediately after Qatar.
Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will again be held on successive weekends in April due to Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, falling 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.
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.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of motorsport's governing body, the FIA, said: '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.'
The FIA did not detail the sprint events, other than Zandvoort, which has already been confirmed.
Save the date 🔒
Presenting the 2026 Calendar 🗓️
24 races across the world to crown our champion 🏆#F1 #Formula1 pic.twitter.com/4xe7e8MPM6
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 10, 2025
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