Madrid’s new street circuit to debut in 2026, replacing Imola on F1 schedule

Williams driver Carlos Sainz of Spain steers his car during a demonstration on a section of the future Formula 1 street circuit in Madrid, Saturday

A new street circuit in Madrid will make its debut on the Formula 1 schedule in September of next year, replacing the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola.

F1 announced its 2026 calendar yesterday, setting the first grand prix at the new Madring track in the Spanish capital for Sept. 13.

Spain gets two races in 2026 as Barcelona stays on the calendar for the final year of its contract. It faces an uncertain future after that.

F1 has previously said Madrid’s race will be known as the Spanish Grand Prix. The new schedule doesn’t specify a new name for Barcelona’s race, which has been known as the Spanish Grand Prix since 1991.

Spain’s second race means Italy drops back to having one grand prix as Imola leaves the schedule. The historic track, a favorite with drivers, returned to the schedule in 2020 as a late addition amid the COVID-19 pandemic and has hosted five races since. Its contract was up this year.

The Australian Grand Prix on March 8 starts the season for the second year running because the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia again move to April to avoid clashing with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The season stays at 24 races and concludes with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from Dec. 4-6.

As part of a push to limit intercontinental travel, the Canadian Grand Prix moves forward from June to May 24 so that it follows the Miami Grand Prix. That sets up a potential clash with the Indianapolis 500.

Last month’s Monaco Grand Prix was also run on the same day as the Indy 500, but the difference in time zones meant it was easier to avoid a clash. The Monaco race started nearly four hours earlier and finished well before the Indy 500 began.

This week’s race in Canada is sandwiched between events in Spain and Austria. Moving Canada in 2026 will mean that all of F1’s European races are scheduled together from June through September.

“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,” FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said in a statement. MDT/AP