Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix race winner Max Verstappen has said it will be "a shame" for Formula 1 when Imola drops off the calendar next year.
Sunday's race was the last on Imola's contract and the addition of a new street circuit in Madrid next year means there is no space for the Italian circuit on the 2026 calendar.
Verstappen has won four of the five races at Imola since the famous circuit returned to F1 in 2020, and he said it will be missed when it is no longer on the calendar.
"Losing these kind of tracks is a shame," Verstappen said. "I get it from F1's side of things, of course -- the new tracks that we are going to, so you have to see it from a sportive side and a financial side, right?
"If you want to grow the business and make it more popular, I get it. For me, of course, personally, when I just speak about the enjoyment of driving, it's these kind of tracks that made me fall in love with racing in general -- in go-karting even, because you have the same thing in karting where some tracks are more special than others."
Verstappen said Imola, which first hosted an F1 championship race in 1980, was one of a few circuits that demanded respect from drivers. "Of course, when you started watching Formula 1, there were always these few tracks where you just ... I don't know, you look at the speeds, you look at how difficult they are to master," he added.
"The history of the sport at certain tracks. You know, it's all very special and gives you a bit more emotion to things. So, yeah, it's definitely a shame for me personally, but what can I do about it?"
