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Las Vegas, Mexico or Imola loses spot on F1 calendar in 2026
With the Belgian Grand Prix set for 2026, two spots remain on that season's F1 calendar. The Emilia-Romagna, Las Vegas or Mexico Grand Prix will drop out in 2026. The question is which of the three it will be.
Formula 1 wants to stick to 24 Grands Prix and that is going to cause a current Grand Prix to have to drop out in 2026. This is because the Madrid Grand Prix will debut on the calendar, while the GP of Spain will also still be held in Barcelona that year.
That extra race in Spain will most likely come at the expense of another Grand Prix in 2026. F1 could opt for a calendar with one extra Grand Prix, but all parties do not seem to be in favour of that at the moment. So it is more likely that one of the circuits with a contract through 2025, will not be on the 2026 calendar.
Which Grand Prix will disappear from the F1 calendar in 2026?
In all likelihood, Las Vegas will not have to worry about its place on the calendar. After all, Las Vegas is organised by Formula One Management. It was the first GP to be organised by F1 itself, taking out the promoter who normally serves as an intermediary. The great success in Vegas probably means that F1 will want to continue this project.
Mexico's position is weaker. In 2015, F1 returned to Mexico at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Carlos Slim was the key man behind the return of the Mexican GP, with Sergio Perez as the star driver. However, from 2025 Perez will no longer drive in F1, leaving the future of the GP in Mexico uncertain. Interest in the sport will surely wane without a local hero.
The other Grand Prix that could still drop out is the one in Imola. The Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix returned to Formula 1 during the coronavirus crisis and has since regained a permanent place on the grid. Imola has a rich history in F1, but the paddock is dated, and there is not enough funding to make major progress in that area.
For Imola, F1's rotation system could be a salvation. Spa-Francorchamps will become part of that rotation system, and it will not be on the F1 calendar in 2028 and 2030. Possibly, Imola could be on the calendar for those two years, only to cede the spot to Belgium in 2026, 2027, and 2029.
If F1 really wants to stick to a 24-race calendar, then one of the current Grands Prix will perish in 2026. Whether that is temporary or permanent, the future will tell. Mexico and Imola have the least paperwork in advance for a new deal.
This article was written in collaboration with Toby Nixon
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