Historic track Michael Schumacher loved now ‘struggling to survive’ on the Formula 1 calendar

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As the Formula 1 calendar gets busy and more races appear, the more likely it is that others will drop off to make way for more races.

The championship is currently close to its maximum capacity with 24 races, with the return of the Chinese Grand Prix adding further strain to the race numbers.

The Concorde Agreement allows for up to 25 races in a season, but the consensus among those in the paddock is that 24 races is enough considering the amount of triple headers this season.

As Madrid is set to arrive on the calendar in 2026, plans are being drawn for one or more races to rotate their slots between each year. There is one possibility that Spa could rotate with the Dutch GP but there is some suggestions that it could have a limited future, after comments made by a Belgian politician.

There is also the possibility that a track on the current calendar drops off altogether and at the moment, it is looking like that could be a circuit Michael Schumacher loved, according to journalist Joe Saward.

Imola could drop off Formula 1 calendar in the near future

Imola rejoined the calendar to host the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in 2020 amid the COVID-affected year.

Since then it has retained its spot, given the close ties it has with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, who is from the Emilia Romanga region in Italy.

Even though it has a contract until 2025, the future of the race could be in doubt according to Saward.

“The second Italian race – known as the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – is going to struggle to survive as they too have been hoping for someone to alternate with,” wrote Saward.

“In the game of F1 race musical chairs, Imola may be left standing alone when the music stops.”

Imola trying to keep two races in Italy

Italy is currently one of two countries that has more than one race, the other being the United States that has three with Austin, Miami and Las Vegas.

Imola was impacted last year when floods hit the Emilia Romagna region and forced the cancellation of the race.

The region’s president has spoken about the ‘invaluable’ benefits for Italy of the race continuing and called for both Imola and Monza to find a way to continue being on the calendar for years to come.

The circuit facilities are said to be the main sticking point, with the track itself committing to building six new grandstands by next year and improving its overall standards.