As Barcelona fights for its F1 race, how is the 2026 calendar shaping up?

Barcelona may have lost the Spanish Grand Prix, but it is still bullish on its chances to keep Formula 1.

Last weekend’s race was the final Spanish Grand Prix held at the Montmelo venue outside the Catalan capital, with that moniker shifting to the under-construction Madring in Madrid in 2026, with two Spanish races on next year’s calendar as Barcelona completes the final year of its current contract.

With it being unlikely for Spain to keep both its F1 races on a yearly basis, Barcelona is expected to follow Imola out the door after 2026 – although F1’s rotational system for select European slots, which already includes Belgium, may yet hand it a lifeline in future years.

A Catalan delegation was on the ground in Imola earlier in May for discussions with FOM, and speaking to Motorsport.com in Montmelo over the weekend, organisers were confident that Madrid’s arrival doesn’t have to spell the end for Barcelona.

“[Madrid] is not a problem for us at all,” said Ignasi Armengol, director of the Fira Circuit company that runs the circuit from this year onwards. “On the contrary, the [Madrid organisers] were here to see our facilities, there is a very cordial relationship, as with the rest of the circuits. In that sense, we do not see it as a problem. We have other circuits at similar distances.”

There is a feeling that Barcelona has effectively opened the door to F1’s Madrid project by not showing enough urgency to solve some of the race’s long-standing issues regarding logistics and infrastructure. And while the event has most certainly improved, it may already be too late, as among other projects its long-promised train station right next to the circuit entrance is still an idea on paper rather than brick and mortar.

“The truth is that the relationship with FOM is very good,” Armengol insisted. “We know each other very well and therefore the dialogue is fluid and very constructive. Year after year we are including, adjusting and fine-tuning things that FOM asks us and that we are able to solve, including the distribution of space in the paddock, the car park, and access.

“There is no urgency to sign a new deal. As we have seen from circuits, it is often done three or four months before the last race in the contract, and therefore we have a whole year ahead of us. We are optimistic of a good resolution.”

Those negotiations take place at the level of the government, which picks up the bill – but while not directly involved, Armengol said the objective was still to organise a yearly grand prix. “For us we have always done it continuously and therefore that is our hope,” he said. “I think we are still working with this idea in these negotiations.”

As for the name of 2026’s event, Armengol said a decision would be made “in the short term”. But given the race is backed by the local government it would not be too far-fetched to think it could carry over the Catalan Grand Prix title used for the circuit’s MotoGP race.

Next year’s calendar takes shape

Meanwhile, F1 is nearing the finalisation of its 2026 calendar, which will once again kick off in Melbourne in early March, as has been known for some time. As was the case this year, the Middle Eastern leg of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will be moved back due to the Islamic holiday of Ramadan, shifting those races to April slots behind China and Japan once more.

One of the few expected changes over the first half of the season is Imola’s disappearance and Canada’s move from its current mid-June date to the second half of May. That will logistically make it easier to link up with Miami, although it is understood Miami and Canada will not actually be run back-to-back. To create room for Montreal, Monaco moves to early June from its traditional end-of-May date.

The second half of the season isn’t expected to see major changes other than the addition of Imola’s replacement of Madrid at the end of September, with construction work currently under way to get the so-called Madring near the Barajas airport completed in time.

Meanwhile, Thailand remains the most realistic mid-term option to join the calendar in 2028 or beyond, with the local government and Red Bull Thailand working on a proposed semi-permanent circuit on the outskirts of Bangkok. The ball is in the government’s court to put forward a compelling proposal, after its prime minister met with F1 chief Stefano Domenicali in April.