Imola reacts to exclusion from 2026 F1 calendar: “Bitterness, but this is not the end”. Imola has been excluded from the provisional 2026 Formula 1 calendar.

Emilia-Romagna does not give up
F1 officially announced this morning the 2026 calendar, which does not include the Emilia-Romagna GP at Imola. The contract was valid until 2025, and the 2023 edition canceled due to flooding was not recovered in 2026 as hoped by local authorities. The place of the Imola GP has been taken by the Madrid GP, whose circuit must be homologated, and it is not certain that the work will be completed within the set deadlines.

For this reason, the Madrid GP is included in the calendar with an asterisk. Imola would be the ‘replacement’ in case of a forfeit. Below is the joint statement from the President of the Emilia-Romagna Region Michele de Pascale and the Mayor of Imola Marco Panieri regarding the provisional 2026 F1 calendar.

“The provisional Formula 1 Grand Prix calendar for the 2026 season has been released, and Imola is excluded. This is news we were aware of and that understandably raises questions, disappointment, and a sense of bitterness outside, because over these years our territory has proven capable of hosting an extraordinary event with record numbers, able to combine international prestige, promotion of Made in Italy, the Motor Valley, and tangible returns for the economic and tourism system of our land and the whole country. Indeed, the Imola Grand Prix was one of the most loved and appreciated by fans and drivers alike, as strongly expressed even in the days following the event, and its uniqueness in the world was evident: uniting the race on track with the surrounding territory, starting with a historic center full of life.

However, we want to be very clear: this news does not represent the end. For the Region and the territory, the path undertaken by Imola and the Made in Italy and Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix does not end here. We were aware of the complexity of the dynamics linked to the calendar, and the situation was very complicated from the start. The contract signed in 2021 – which at the time few believed possible – provided for the stable return of the Grand Prix to Imola until 2025. As the Emilia-Romagna Region and the Municipality of Imola, among the promoting partners, we have truly done everything possible at this stage. We repeatedly highlighted, in various ways, to all the actors involved, the importance and strategic nature of the matter. We did this with transparency, clarity, maximum availability, and institutional cooperation. Moreover, the territory, as Emilia-Romagna Region and as Municipality of Imola / territorial Consortium Con.Ami, had for over a year confirmed its availability and budgeted the necessary resources also for 2026, as requested by other institutional and sporting partners after the commitment made to recover the missed 2023 edition due to the dramatic flood events. This territory, when it makes a commitment, is used to respecting it and being ready when needed: as in 2020, when, in a world blocked by COVID, the Imola circuit made itself available to help a struggling Formula 1. However, this is not the time for controversies, finger-pointing, or giving in to resignation.

Now it is time for everyone to take responsibility and resume discussions for a return to the calendar. That is why, in recent days, as early as May 26, we asked the Government and the sports authority for an Institutional Table to precisely examine terms and methods of support and joint work to bring the Formula 1 Grand Prix back to Imola. Within this Table, and in line with the attention the Government has always shown towards us, we will continue the path to return as protagonists, as a country, as Made in Italy, as a Region and as a territory in the Formula 1 calendar. The vision of an ever greater multifunctionality of the Autodromo as a center of growth, sports diplomacy, development, innovation, and culture remains a guarantee and keeps the circuit’s calendar rich, attractive, and international. Today we claim this vision, which has brought the circuit back to the center of attention and interest. Over these years, we have appreciated the extraordinary and unique opportunities we have in the world. We will continue to nurture them. To those who live and love Imola, Emilia-Romagna, and this Grand Prix, we say that at a moment when it would be easy to give in to useless controversies and disappointment, it is instead time for tenacity and increasingly broad constructive commitment from everyone. The game is not over here, and until now we have done things that only a few years ago seemed impossible. We will keep believing in it, with conviction and clarity, with the pride of a territory that, together with other institutional partners, has shown it knows how to dream big and concretely build opportunities.”