The addition of Madrid and the loss of Imola are the only two major changes in the 2026 FIA F1 World Championship calendar, which was formally announced this morning.
The new event has been given a September slot under the Spanish GP name, while Barcelona retains its spring date for what is the last event on its current contract, although it is now mid-June. The circuit still hopes to extend its arrangement.
Last weekend Carlos Sainz became the first driver to sample part of the new Madring layout when he conducted a demo run for Williams.
In addition F1 has taken advantage of the loss of Imola to bring Canada forward and put it after Miami, so that the season starts with a run of seven flyaway races amd there is no interruption to the European leg of the season.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali 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. We are excited to welcome Madrid to the calendar, and to see huge automotive brands like Audi, Cadillac and Ford join the Formula 1 grid.
“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 for our millions of fans watching around the globe.
“I want to thank all our fans for their passionate support and the FIA, with all the volunteers, marshals and officials, as well as the promoters, partners, sponsors, host cities and the local motor racing federations for their commitment and support in delivering this schedule in what I know will be another historic year for Formula 1.”
Because of the new regulations and the need for teams to log as many miles as possible with their unproven PUs the testing schedule has been revamped for 2026, with nine days rather than three, and an earlier start than usual.
Other than any individual filming days the cars will first run in Barcelona at the end of January, but behind closed doors and with no media presence, and the teams presumably encouraged not to show their definitive liveries.
Five days have been allocated for what is known in the FIA sporting regulations as Pre-Season Private Collective Testing, and teams can choose on which three they run.
That gives them the option to either run early and have more time for homework before the next test, or run later in the week, and have two extra days to prepare.
The Barcelona running will be followed by two three-day Pre-Season Public Collective Testing sessions in Bahrain in early February, with a five-day gap between them.
| 06-08 March | Australia | Melbourne |
| 13-15 March | China | Shanghai |
| 27-29 March | Japan | Suzuka |
| 10-12 April | Bahrain | Sakhir |
| 17-19 April | Saudi Arabia | Jeddah |
| 01-03 May | USA | Miami |
| 22-24 May | Canada | Montreal |
| 05-07 June | Monaco | Monaco |
| 12–14 June | Spain | Barcelona |
| 26-28 June | Austria | Spielberg |
| 03-05 July | United Kingdom | Silverstone |
| 17-19 July | Belgium | Spa-Francorchamps |
| 24-26 July | Hungary | Budapest |
| 21-23 August | Netherlands | Zandvoort |
| 04-06 September | Italy | Monza |
| 11-13 September | Spain | Madrid* |
| 25-27 September | Azerbaijan | Baku |
| 09-11 October | Singapore | Singapore |
| 23-25 October | USA | Austin |
| 30 October – 01 November | Mexico | Mexico City |
| 06-08 November | Brazil | São Paulo |
| 19-21 November | USA | Las Vegas |
| 27-29 November | Qatar | Lusail |
| 04-06 December | Abu Dhabi | Yas Marina |
Adam Cooper F1 