Formula 1 broke new ground in Madrid, where the Spanish Grand Prix began a bold new era at the Madring. Staged around the IFEMA Madrid exhibition centre, the fast, purpose-built street circuit made its championship debut as the final European race of the 2026 season—adding an unknown and potentially decisive challenge to the closing stages of the championship.
Race Guide
Season: 2026 F1 World Championship
Race date: Sunday, 13 September 2026
Race start time: 15:00 local time
Circuit: Circuito IFEMA Madrid “Madring”
Laps: 57
Circuit length: 5.474km
2025 winner: n/a (Madrid did not feature on the 2025 calendar)
| Pole position | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | TBC | TBC | |
| Time | TBC | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver | TBC | TBC | |
| Time | TBC | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | TBC | TBC | |
| Second | TBC | TBC | |
| Third | TBC | TBC | |
At 5.4km (3.365 miles) and featuring 22 corners, the Madring was designed to test every dimension of a modern Formula 1 car. Its headline feature at La Monumental, a vast right-hander set to become the longest banked corner on the F1 calendar, but an entirely new circuit brought wider intrigue: unfamiliar braking points, evolving grip levels and little historical data for teams to rely on. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli arrived with momentum after winning at Monza, yet Madrid offered no guarantees for even the grid’s most in-form driver.
Although the venue was new, Madrid’s relationship with Formula 1 stretched back decades. The Circuito del Jarama, north of the capital, hosted nine World Championship rounds between 1968 and 1981, with Niki Lauda and Gilles Villeneuve among its celebrated winners. Now the sport returned to the Spanish capital with a striking modern stage, a fresh technical puzzle and the promise of a Grand Prix capable of creating its own defining moments from the very first lap.
Madring Stats & Facts
The Madring may be new, but the Spanish Grand Prix arrives in Madrid carrying more than a century of history. Its origins stretch back to 1913, while its Formula 1 World Championship story began at Pedralbes in 1951 before the race returned to the calendar in 1968. Since then, it has moved through Jarama, Montjuïc, Jerez and the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with each venue adding its own character to one of the sport’s most technically revealing events.
From 2026, Madrid now held the next chapter. The Spanish capital secured a ten-year agreement to stage the Grand Prix from 2026 through 2035, bringing the race back to a city whose Jarama circuit hosted nine World Championship rounds between 1968 and 1981. Madring therefore represented more than a change of venue: it reconnected modern Formula 1 with a significant part of Spain’s racing past while giving a new generation of fans and drivers the chance to create their own defining moments.
See also…
If we look at the Spanish Grand Prix, before the 2026 race, home hero Fernando Alonso’s commanding victory in 2006 made him the first Spanish driver to win his home Grand Prix in the Formula 1 World Championship era. He repeated the feat in 2013, which remained his most recent F1 victory.
Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton shared the Spanish Grand Prix record with six wins apiece—a benchmark built through sustained dominance across two very different eras. While Max Verstappen was just 18 years and 228 days old when he won in 2016 on his Red Bull debut, becoming the youngest Grand Prix winner in Formula 1 history.
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 11 September 2026 | Free Practice 1 (FP1) | 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm local time |
| 11 September 2026 | Free Practice 2 (FP2) | 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm local time |
| 12 September 2026 | Free Practice 3 (FP3) | 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm local time |
| 12 September 2026 | Qualifying | 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm local time |
| 13 September 2026 | Race | 3:00 pm local time |
Championship background
Kimi Antonelli arrived in Madrid with firm control of the championship after producing a remarkable charge from 19th on the grid to victory at Monza. The result stretched his advantage to 66 points over George Russell, 76 over Lewis Hamilton and 96 over Lando Norris, placing the Italian in an increasingly commanding position as the season entered its decisive phase.
His closest rivals now needed an immediate response, but the Madring presented a very different challenge from Monza. Mercedes capitalised on its pace to secure a 1-2 finish in Italy, yet the team was not expected to enjoy the same advantage around Madrid’s demanding 22-corner layout. With every driver and team starting from a largely blank page, Russell, Hamilton and Norris had a fresh opportunity to disrupt Antonelli’s momentum and bring themselves back into contention.
The championship battle headlined a packed weekend of racing in the Spanish capital. Formula 2 would join the Grand Prix programme, while the 2026 Formula 3 Championship reached its conclusion with a three-race season finale. With titles, points and reputations at stake across all three categories, Madrid’s first Formula 1 weekend was set to deliver action from the opening session to the final chequered flag.
Race entries
The lineup of drivers and teams remained the same as the 2026 season’s entry list, featuring no reserve drivers for the race.
Tyre choices
More to follow…
FIND OUT MORE
Free Practice
More to follow…
Free Practice 1 Classification
2026 Spanish Grand Prix FP1, 11 September 2026
Results to follow…
Free Practice 2 Classification
2026 Spanish Grand Prix FP2, 11 September 2026
Results to follow…
Free Practice 3 Classification
2026 Spanish Grand Prix FP3, 12 September 2026
Results to follow…
Qualifying
Full report post-session.
Full Qualifying Report
Qualifying Classification
2026 Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying, 12 September 2026
Results to follow…
What happened in the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix?
More to follow…
2026 Spanish Grand Prix race results
The 2026 Spanish Grand Prix Race was held on 13 September 2026 at 3:00 pm local time.
Results to follow…
2026 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings for Drivers’ and Teams after the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix.
2026 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings
Results to follow…
2026 Post-Race F1 Constructors’ Championship Standings
Results to follow…
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