F1 calendar 2026: out goes Imola, in comes Madrid

The 2026 F1 calendar has been announced, and as expected Imola has fallen by the wayside and been replaced by that new street track in Madrid. Anyone else hear crickets chirping?

The only asterisk (literally, as you’ll see from the calendar below) is that the new race in the Spanish capital is ‘subject to FIA circuit homologation’... recent reports have suggested that building work is, er, behind schedule. Uh oh. Still, they’ve got until September next year for all that concrete to set.

Meanwhile there’s been a victory for common sense as Miami and Canada finally go back-to-back (albeit with a three-week gap), with no trip out to Montreal in the middle of the European leg.

That’s been made possible by Monaco and the Spanish GP (yep, Barcelona has survived) slipping back into June. Local suncream sales will surely skyrocket.

Belgium begins its new life as F1’s first rotational race mid July, while the Dutch Grand Prix makes its last bow before its contract expires. Zandvoort, we’ll miss your banked corners and orange flares.

Finally, the title run-in will be held over two triple headers: the US, Mexican and Brazilian Grands Prix, followed by Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi three weeks before Christmas.

Anyone else looking forward to the George Russell vs Kimi Antonelli title fight when Mercedes’ new engine inevitably puts them in a different universe to the rest of the grid?