Madring guide: everything to know about Madrid’s Formula 1 debut

Formula 1 arrives in Madrid this weekend for the first Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring. The hybrid venue combines public roads with purpose-built sections around IFEMA Madrid and Valdebebas, creating a circuit unlike any previous Spanish stop on the calendar.

For a wider weekend overview, read our 2026 Spanish Grand Prix guide.

A new venue with an old Madrid connection

Although the Madring is making its F1 debut, Madrid has hosted the Spanish Grand Prix before. The capital’s first race came at Jarama in 1968, when the circuit was located 30 kilometres north of the city and alternated with Barcelona’s Montjuic Circuit.

Following a tragic accident at Montjuic, Madrid became the permanent host from 1976 to 1979 and again in 1981. James Hunt and Mario Andretti were among the winners during that period. The event then disappeared for several years because of a lack of interest and unpleasant weather conditions, before Jerez and Barcelona emerged as preferred locations.

What the Madring will demand

Drivers will not know the full character of the circuit until Free Practice 1 on Friday, September 11, although the layout and the useful test completed by Formula 3 offer some clues.

A short, approximately 200-metre run leads to Turn 1. The opening right-hander then sends the cars towards Turn 3 and onto the circuit’s longest straight. A heavy braking zone follows, accompanied by an elevation change and the blind apex of Turn 8.

The street section gives way to the permanent track, where a chicane leads into La Monumental. The 550-metre banked curve rises to a 24% gradient and offers multiple racing lines, setting up one of the weekend’s defining visual and sporting challenges. The circuit then returns to a flat-out sequence before narrowing into a technical section, ending with the final tight corner onto the start/finish straight.

Straight Mode and Overtake Mode

There are two Straight Mode zones: the start/finish straight and the section between Turns 3 and 4. Overtake Mode has one detection point, just before Turn 22, with activation after the final corner on the run to the line.

Madrid-born Carlos Sainz will also take on his first true home race as circuit ambassador, adding a local focus to this historic debut.