By Riccardo Tafà| Posted June 11, 2025 | In Formula 1, Formula1
The 2026 calendar of the Formula 1, officially announced on June 10, 2025, includes a season of 24 Grands Prix that will cross five continents and introduce new venues, logistical variations and an optimized race order to maximize operational efficiency and promote expansion into strategic markets. The big news is the exclusion of the Autodromo Enzo and Dino Ferrari in Imola, replaced by the Madrid Grand Prix on the new IFEMA-Madring urban circuit. Other major changes include moving the Canadian Grand Prix to an earlier weekend than Miami to optimize logistics, consecutive triple-headers in the final phase of the season, and Ramadan-related adjustments.
The announcement, jointly by Formula 1 and the FIA, was accompanied by statements from Stefano Domenicali and Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who stressed the innovative, sustainable and global nature of the championship.
The full schedule is as follows:
The Spanish Grand Prix moves from Barcelona to Madrid, which will join the calendar from September 11-13, 2026 on the new IFEMA-Madring urban circuit. The track, which is 5.4 km long with 22 corners, runs between the IFEMA exhibition center and the Valdebebas district, offering a hybrid layout that combines urban roads and permanent sections.
The Emilia-Romagna GP at Imola has been excluded from the 2026 calendar because the track has not renewed its contract with FOM and FIA. The Imola circuit issued an official statement, hoping for a possible return in the future, but acknowledging the impossibility of reaching an agreement for 2026.
The Canadian Grand Prix has been moved up to the weekend of May 22-24, immediately following Miami, to allow for a direct transfer of equipment and reduce transportation costs ([formula1.com][1], [motorsport.com][2]). This change also causes an exceptional overlap with the Indianapolis 500 on May 24. The final part of the season includes two consecutive triple-headers – Austin, Mexico, Brazil and then Las Vegas, Qatar, Abu Dhabi – to create a media crescendo before the close of the racing year.
The inclusion of the Ramadan period , scheduled between February and March 2026, forced the shifting of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to April, in deference to the needs of teams and fans in Muslim countries. The consolidation of the European block from June to the end of July aims to improve sustainability and efficiency in transportation by reducing air travel and favoring road transfers between Monaco, Barcelona, Spielberg, Silverstone, and Spa.
The Madrid entry responds to Formula 1’s goal of strengthening its presence in Spain, a key market for international sponsors and automakers, by securing a new urban stage in a European capital.
The triple-header decision in the United States and Middle East is designed to maximize media and commercial impact by offering hospitality packages and multi-event sponsorships in markets with high economic potential.
In the coming years, the season could further expand to 26-28 races, including new emerging markets such as Africa orLatin America, in the wake of interest expressed by local organizers and investors.
Motorsport.com points out that the commercial viability of events like Las Vegas will determine the duration of future contracts, with possible revisions in the event of low attendance or low ROI.
In parallel, the retention of six sprint events and track test days (two three-day sessions in Spain and Bahrain) suggests an evolution toward more content-rich weekends and sponsorship opportunities.
The entry of new manufacturers such as Audi, Cadillac and Ford, aided by technical regulations on sustainable engines and fuels, may influence the choice of locations for product launches and dedicated marketing activations.
For the sponsors, the new calendar offers visibility in expanding markets such as Madrid, Miami and Las Vegas, with tailored hospitality packages in prestigious locations. The concentration of the European summer block allows integrative brand activation campaigns to be planned with local partners and digital engagement in Munich, Spa and Zandvoort.
Final triple-headers in North America and the Middle East create opportunities for joint sponsorship agreements, multi-event hospitality solutions and long-term licensing projects.
Finally, for sustainability-conscious brands, the narrative of new power units and 100% advanced fuels is a strong appeal for corporate social responsibility campaigns.
Have your brand at the front of the F1 action with RTR Sports. We’re specialists in Formula 1 sponsorship, as well as MotoGP sponsorship and Formula E sponsorship. Contact us today.
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Managing Director for RTR Sports, Riccardo graduated in law at the University of Bologna. He began his career in London in PR, then started working in two and four-wheelers. A brief move to Monaco followed before returning to Italy. There he founded RTR, first a consulting firm and then a sports marketing company which, eventually, he moved back to London.
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Read MoreIn an era where it is possible to get anywhere with a click, there is a strong temptation to approach teams and properties directly for sponsorship projects.
By doing so, we are convinced that we are shortening the value chain, saving time and money. However, these DYI methods are anything but risk-free and what initially appears to be a competitive advantage soon turns into a problem that is difficult to resolve. That’s why there are agencies. And this is why you should rely on us for your sponsorships.
When first approaching a motorsport sponsorship project, it is difficult to know immediately which stakeholders are correct, what the decision flow is, and what the right timelines are for each process. Motorsport is a very specialized field of action, and fitting effectively into its paths can take a lot of time and therefore money. We, on the other hand, know referents and spheres of action and know who to talk to, when and how. So you are also more effective.
Motorsport is an immense passion, and for our heart colors we would be willing to do anything. But business is a different business, and it is important to make the best possible strategic decisions based on independent research, statistics and reliable data. A motorsport sponsorship agency like RTR has an objective, 360-degree picture of the scenario and can tell you what is really best for you: which racing series, which athlete, which team. This is because we possess a great deal of data and information on ratings, segmentation and attitudes. Because the numbers don’t lie. Never.
Activations are the real heart of motorsport sponsorship. Without them, there remains only a blank sticker on a motorcycle, car or uniform and no contact with the public, no emotional connection, no impact on the bottom line. Then how do you do it? It certainly won’t be the teams or the athletes who will help you leverage sponsorship and enjoy the many marketing rights you have paid for. To bring out the best in a motorsport marketing project, you need an agency that knows how to use sponsorship to engage the fanbase online, to reach out to Shopping Centers, to organize hospitality, to develop B2B and B2C opportunities, and to get “your” athletes in front of millions of potential consumers.
Would you ever go to the dealer who sold you the car and ask if the competitor’s car is better? No, of course. So, how do you expect to get firm measurements of the effectiveness of your sponsorship if you do not rely on someone super partes? At RTR, we have always worked with independent third-party agencies that allow us to know the return on any exposure of your brand on TV and in the media. In addition, we believe in calculating ROI as the ultimate measure of your success-so we can tell you for every penny you spend how much you are making.
We have been involved in motorsport sponsorship and sports marketing for more than 15 years. We are consultants in the sense that our goal is to maximize your investment, but we are also an agency that manages the project from start to finish. We have been doing this since 1995 with passion and professionalism, following three principles that have become cornerstones of our business: independence, verticality and transparency.
I would like to highlight the fact that one of the qualities of RTR is its great ability to approach the sponsorship scenario strategically, together with its passionate attitude, its amazing enthusiasm for solving problems, and its high level of professionalism.
Gianluca Degliesposti
Executive Director Server&Storage EMEA
Eurosport is truly delighted with its business relationship with Riccardo Tafà, who has become extremely popular, thanks to his detailed knowledge of the sports marketing sector and his highly diligent attitude to work.
Francois Ribeiro
Commercial Director
Passion and Expertise are the features that I have found in RTR since the very beginning. Serious and reliable professionals but also very helpful, nice and open-mind people, willing to listen and compare different ideas. All the values in which RTR believes make this agency a partner, not just a supplier, a partner with whom we have had the opportunity to achieve significant commercial results in term of success and image.
Luca Pacitto
Head of Communication
We have been working with RTR Sports Marketing for over 10 years. The objectives and the programmes of collaboration continue to be renewed and to grow with mutual satisfaction. I believe RTR is a team of great professionals led by Riccardo Tafà, who I consider a manager of exceptional skills and with a great passion for his work.
Lucio Cecchinello
Team Principal
I have known and worked with Riccardo Tafà since 1995 when we collaborated for the first time on a project for the Williams Formula 1 team. Several clients followed. After leaving Williams to work for Gerhard Berger then owner of the Toro Rosso F1 Team, I turned again to Riccardo to seek his help in finding a tool supplier for the team and Riccardo duly obliged with an introduction to USAG, a partnership with Toro Rosso which endured for five years. I recently started a new role as Group Commercial Director for the renowned Andretti Autosport organisation and I find myself working with Riccardo once again on a number of interesting projects. Why has this relationship with Riccardo endured ? He’s smart, knows the commercial side of sport inside out and back to front and he’s honest and trustworthy. Riccardo Tafà is a “doer” not a “talker”: in over 20 years I have never had a dispute either with him or with a company that he has introduced and each partnership introduced by Riccardo has delivered quantifiable ROI to rights holder and sponsor alike. I can think of no better testimonial of Riccardo’s diligence, knowledge, contact base and hard work than that.
Jim Wright
Group Commercial Director
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