news-engine

The 5.416km layout around the IFEMA Madrid complex becomes the 79th circuit to stage a Formula 1 world championship race and the sixth different home of the Spanish Grand Prix. It will host the 56th running of the race as a world championship event and marks F1’s first completely new circuit since Las Vegas joined the calendar in 2023. Formula 1 also returns to Madrid for the first time since Jarama hosted a grand prix in 1981. Unlike many recent additions, Madring has already earned a reputation for being demanding rather than forgiving. Its 22 corners take in public roads and newly constructed sections, with close walls, elevation changes and several areas where drivers will have little margin for error. Breaking down the MADRING 😍 High speed sections, followed by lower speed, for those prime overtaking spots 😮💨#F1 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/8xxeXMssC4 — Formula 1 (@F1) September 9, 2026 Formula 3 offered the clearest indication yet of what awaits when the championship completed a two-day test at the venue last month. That running was interrupted by 19 red flags across the two days as repeated incidents exposed how quickly mistakes around the new circuit could become costly. Williams team principal James Vowles highlighted the extent of the damage ahead of F1’s first visit. “In the Formula 3 test there were 19 red flags and three broken chassis, broken suspensions,” Vowles told Spanish media outlet Sport. “OK, they’re Formula 3 drivers, but it’s a track that kills cars.” Despite the disruption, the drivers themselves were largely enthusiastic about the challenge Madring presented. Championship leader Freddie Slater was among those impressed. “I think this track is incredible to drive, it’s a bit old-school, got some interesting corners and it’s got a lot of character to it,” Slater said. French driver Theophile Nael, meanwhile, compared the circuit to other renowned street circuits such as Monaco and Macau. “When you are flat out, you can feel the G-forces. Inside the car, it is incredible,” he said. The undisputed centrepiece is Turn 12, La Monumental, a sweeping banked corner of roughly 550 metres that will send cars through a grandstand-lined section for around six seconds. Banking reaches 24 percent, making it unlike anything else currently on the F1 calendar and giving the new venue an instantly recognisable feature. Carlos Sainz, who has been heavily involved in promoting the Madrid event, initially expected the corner to be relatively straightforward before discovering otherwise in the Williams simulator. “It is probably more challenging than I thought,” Sainz told F1.com. “I thought it would be a flat out, easy flat-out corner and just like an acceleration corner. “It’s turned out to be much more challenging, at least in the simulator in a good way. With all that banking, all that control of the car through there, it will be a big challenge.” The Madrid local said he believed the wider circuit carried elements of some of F1’s toughest street venues. “I think it has a mix of Jeddah and Baku [characteristics], which are probably the two most challenging tracks for a driver – and a bit of Singapore,” he said. “I think it’s a track that has quite a bit of character when you drive it in the simulator.” The F3 test also showed how quickly mistakes can become expensive, particularly through the faster chicanes where aggressive kerb use can leave drivers heading towards the barriers. That could make qualifying one of the highlights of the weekend as the grid searches for confidence around a circuit where nobody has previous F1 race experience. Whether the same layout produces overtaking opportunities on Sunday is less certain, with limited heavy braking zones creating some concern that track position could prove especially valuable. For Sainz, the weekend carries extra significance as he finally gets the chance to race in his home city after helping bring the event to life. “If you would have told a little kid from Madrid that he will make it to F1 and, not only that, he will help to bring the Madrid GP back, I would have never believed it,” he said. FP1 for the Spanish Grand Prix gets underway at 9.30pm AEST Friday. 2026 F1 Spanish Grand Prix – Schedule, how to watch, TV times & more