Imola reacts with ‘bitterness’ to F1 2026 calendar axe
Imola issues response to being omitted from the 2026 F1 calendar.
Imola has issued a defiant response to being dropped from the F1 calendar next season.
The Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix has been replaced by a second race in Spain, to be held in Madrid, on the 2026 F1 calendar, which will remain at 24 rounds for a second consecutive season.
F1 2026’s schedule was released on Tuesday morning, confirming an expected omission for Imola.
Imola removed from F1 calendar in 2026
The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari returned to the F1 calendar in 2020 as part of the world championship’s reworked COVID-19 impacted season and continued to stage races over the following five years.
Imola’s contract expires at the end of the year and has not been extended, though local officials remain determined for the event to return.
“The provisional calendar of Formula 1 Grand Prix for the 2026 season has been announced, from which Imola is excluded,” read a statement signed by Imola mayor Marco Panieri.
“This is news we were aware of and which, understandably, generates questions, disappointment and bitterness, because in recent years our territory has demonstrated its ability to host an extraordinary event with record numbers.
“The grand prix in Imola was one of the most loved and appreciated by fans and drivers, as demonstrated in the days following the event. Its uniqueness was evident: combining the race on the track with the charm of the territory, starting from a historic center to be experienced.
“However, we want to be very clear: this news does not represent the end of the story.
“We have always been aware of the complexity of the dynamics linked to the calendar, which was complicated from the beginning. The contract signed in 2021, considered by many to be unfeasible at the time, envisaged the stable return of the grand prix to Imola until 2025.
"As the Emilia Romagna Region and the Municipality of Imola, among the promoters of the initiative, we have done everything possible.
“We have repeatedly underlined the importance and strategic nature of the issue to all the actors involved, with transparency, clarity and full availability for institutional collaboration.”
F1 CEO and president Stefano Domenicali, who is from Imola, previously indicated the race could be used on a rotational basis in the coming years.
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