Three takeaways from the 2026 Formula One schedule release

On Tuesday, Formula One announced the official race schedule for the 2026 season. There are a number of things to note and changes compared to past F1 seasons. 

Here are three noteworthy topics of the 2026 F1 season and what they could mean as we look ahead to the future:

1. No more Imola

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, more commonly known simply as Imola, is one of the most historic and iconic tracks on the F1 schedule, however 2026 will be without this iconic track.

The circuit is out of contract after this season and F1 has not renewed the deal, meaning this year's Grand Prix, won by Max Verstappen, will be the last at Imola for the foreseeable future. 

Imola mayor Marco Panieri and president Michele de Pascale both released statements, basically saying that despite the race not being on the 2026 F1 schedule, "this news by no means is the final word" and will work to get the circuit back on the 2027 F1 schedule and beyond. 

Imola returning in the future would not come as a surprise to anyone, but as for 2026, F1 fans will have to live without one of the sport's most iconic venues. 

2. Two races in Spain

When F1 announced a street circuit around the streets of Madrid would be joining the calendar in 2026, many thought that meant the end of the usual race at the circuit in Barcelona, however, that is surprisingly not the case. 

The 2026 calendar consists of two Spanish Grand Prix races, with the usual race in Barcelona taking place in June and the new Madrid street circuit taking place in September. This makes the Madrid race the last European race of the season, most likely a strategic move to give the track enough time to complete construction for its debut.

Spain joins the United States as the only countries on the schedule to host more than one race in 2026, with three races being held in the U.S.

3. Canadian Grand Prix clashes with Indianapolis 500

Every racing fan knows how the Memorial Day weekend schedule usually goes, you watch the Monaco Grand Prix in the morning, followed by IndyCar's Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600. However, that tradition changes in 2026.

F1 has decided to push the Monaco Grand Prix back to June and move the Canadian Grand Prix up to Memorial Day weekend, and it just so happens to be taking place around the same time as the Indy 500. 

This is a major blow to motorsports fans as now many will have to choose which race they would rather watch, which impacts viewership for both sports. Whether this was done intentionally by F1 to put down IndyCar is unknown, but for racing fans, it is a major deflator.