LONDON (AP) — A new street circuit in Madrid will make its debut on theFormula 1schedule in September of next year, replacing the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola. F1 announced its 2026 calendar on Tuesday, setting the first grand prix at thenew Madring trackin the Spanish capital for Sept. 13. Spain gets two races in 2026 as Barcelona stays on the calendar for the final year of its contract. Itfaces an uncertain futureafter that. F1 has previously said Madrid's race will be known as the Spanish Grand Prix. The new schedule doesn't specify a new name for Barcelona's race, which has been known as the Spanish Grand Prix since 1991. Spain's second race means Italy drops back to having one grand prix as Imola leaves the schedule. The historic track, a favorite with drivers, returned to the schedule in 2020 as a late addition amid the COVID-19 pandemic and has hosted five races since. Itscontract was upthis year. The Australian Grand Prix on March 8 starts the season for the second year running because the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia again move to April to avoid clashing with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The season stays at 24 races and concludes with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from Dec. 4-6. As part of a push to limit intercontinental travel, the Canadian Grand Prix moves forward from June to May so that it follows the Miami Grand Prix. This week's race in Canada is sandwiched between events in Spain and Austria. Moving Canada in 2026 will mean that all of F1's European races are scheduled together from June through September. "With 24 grands prix across five continents, the season truly reflects the global nature of our community, while the improved geographical flow of the calendar shows our joint commitment to making the championship more efficient and sustainable," FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said in a statement. ___ AP auto racing:https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
