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

LONDON (AP) - 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 schedule for 2026 on Tuesday, setting the first Grand Prix at the new Madring track in the Spanish capital for Sept. 13.

Spain gets two races for 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 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 2026 F1 season will start March 6-8 in Melbourne with the Australian Grand Prix and concluded with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from Dec. 4-6.