F1 reveals 2026 schedule: Canadian GP to clash with Indy 500; Madrid debuts in September

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Formula One has revealed its calendar for the 2026 season, featuring a record-tying 24 races, three visits to the United States and a new grand prix in Madrid in September.

But F1 will also go head-to-head with the Indianapolis 500 next year after moving the Canadian Grand Prix to May 24, setting up a direct clash between the two races on Memorial Day weekend.

The 2026 calendar was revealed after the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council approved the schedule during its latest meeting in Macau on Tuesday.

F1 has taken steps in recent years to better regionalize its calendar, aiming to reduce its carbon footprint and meet its net-zero goal by 2030. The latest efforts include Canada’s shift to late May from its traditional mid-June slot. It will take place three weeks after the Miami Grand Prix, pairing the first two North American races on the calendar.

While the date change ensures the entire European leg of the season can run without leaving the continent between early June and mid-September, minimizing cross-Atlantic travel, it has created a clash with the Indy 500.

This year’s Indy 500 started at 12:45 p.m. ET, while this Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix will begin at 2 p.m. ET, creating a potential dilemma for racing fans. Traditionally, the Indy 500 has been held on the same day as the Monaco Grand Prix, but the different time zones have meant the F1 race typically finishes a couple of hours before the 500 goes green.

As reported by The Athletic, the new F1 season will start once again in Australia, which moves forward by one week to March 8, heralding the debut of the overhauled car designs for 2026, the most significant in a generation.

The first race in Madrid, as part of F1’s new contract to race in the Spanish capital at the IFEMA complex, is scheduled for September 13 and will be the second of two races in Spain next season, subject to the circuit being signed off by Formula One’s governing body, FIA. Barcelona is set to host the final grand prix under its existing contract on June 14.

Unlike 2025, Japan is no longer part of a triple-header with Bahrain and Saudi Arabia; instead, it becomes a stand-alone race at the end of March.

The Dutch Grand Prix, which is set to drop from the calendar after 2026, is also not paired with any other races. This means the first triple-header does not occur until Rounds 19 and 21 of the season, which include races in the United States (Austin, Texas), Mexico and Brazil.

This will, however, be followed by a second triple-header to close out the season, setting up a run of six races in the space of seven weeks to the final checkered flag in Abu Dhabi on December 6.

The fourth running of the Las Vegas Grand Prix is scheduled for November 21, retaining its Saturday slot, although a new contract has yet to be formally announced beyond this year.

As anticipated, the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola will not appear on the calendar after the expiration of its contract, being effectively replaced by the Madrid race.

(Photo: Mark Thompson / Getty Images)

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