The F1 2026 calendar has been released, and there are many changes from the 2025 season. The biggest change will see the Imola GP removed from the calendar and be replaced with Spain’s second race in the capital, Madrid.
However, this is not the only change to the calendar. The Canadian Grand Prix has been moved from its usual time. The race is usually held in June, during the European leg of the season. Next season, the race in Montreal will be held in May before the start of the F1’s visit to Europe. But the date clashes with the biggest day in American motorsport.
F1 2026 calendar clashes with the Indy 500 and Coke 600
The F1 2026 calendar has revealed that the Canadian GP will clash with the same weekend the Indy 500 is due to run. Canada was moved forward to May to help with freight logistics with Miami, part of F1’s plan to become more environmentally friendly. However, they have left a three-week gap between the two Grand Prix weekends.
This gap has been created in part by Imola being knocked off the calendar. Its replacement, the Spanish GP in Madrid, is not due to be held until September, making the calendar a little shorter in May and June. This has led to the Monaco race weekend being moved into June, two weeks after Canada.
The three-week gap has meant the Canadian GP will clash with the Indy 500, the most popular sporting event in the US. The two races are held in the same time zone, meaning fans will have to choose which event to watch. The Indy 500 is usually on when a European race is taking place, meaning fans can watch both.
The weekend will also clash with the NASCAR event, the Coke 600. Some drivers compete in both the Coke 600 and the Indy 500, known as the ‘double’. Fans have taken to social media, joking that drivers might try to complete the ‘triple’ with the Canadian GP.
🚨 BREAKING: F1 has dropped the official calendar for the 2026 season.
Canada now moves forward and is a week after Miami. Elsewhere, the addition of the Madrid circuit is confirmed in place of Imola.
The season will commence on the weekend of March 6 in Melbourne #F1 https://t.co/tw1Vgvu3VR
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) June 10, 2025
The rest of the calendar has remained largely the same. The season will open in Australia once more and end in Abu Dhabi in December. The final weeks of the schedule will be gruelling for the teams. The last seven weeks of the season will see six grand prix weekends.
The Dutch Grand Prix is confirmed to host a sprint race at its final running, but the other five are yet to be announced. With the new 2026 regulations, F1 is increasing the amount of testing for teams. Three three-day tests are planned in Bahrain and Barcelona to help teams understand the new car concepts.
