Madrid
Madring
- 2026 – Andrea Kimi Antonelli
- 2026 – Lando Norris
When was the track built?
Purpose-built for its 2026 debut, the Madring is a new venue constructed on and around the IFEMA exhibition grounds in the north-east of Madrid, close to the airport. It mixes permanent sections with public roads, which puts it in the same family as the sport’s semi-street circuits rather than a conventional out-of-town autodrome. Construction ran through the mid-2020s alongside the surrounding infrastructure, and the design was signed off with a long-term commitment to the Spanish Grand Prix.
When was its first Grand Prix?
Its first Grand Prix is scheduled for September 2026, which makes this circuit an entirely blank page. Spain has a long championship history through Jarama, Jerez, Montmelo and the old Montjuic road course, but none of that transfers here. There is no lap record worth quoting, no established overtaking spot, and no accumulated wisdom about how the surface behaves once rubber goes down. Everything written about the Madring before the first race weekend is inference rather than form.
What’s the circuit like?
On paper the layout blends fast, flowing sections with tighter technical corners and a banked turn, and includes significant elevation change for a city venue. That points towards a medium to high downforce set-up and a genuine compromise between straight-line speed and the twistier third of the lap. New asphalt usually starts green and low-grip, so expect a track that improves substantially across the weekend and rewards whoever adapts fastest. Walls in the street sections leave little room for error. Whether overtaking works properly is the open question, and until cars have actually raced here nobody, teams included, will know for certain.
Why go?
A brand-new circuit in a major European capital is a rare thing, and there is something to be said for being at the first running of anything. Madrid in September is warm without being punishing, the venue sits on the metro line and near the airport, and the city itself does late nights, food and street atmosphere better than almost any host on the calendar. Expect the usual first-year rough edges around access and facilities, balanced by a crowd that has waited a long time for a race of its own.
Where is the best place to watch?
Detailed seating advice is guesswork until the first weekend, but the reliable principles apply. Look for stands at the end of the longest straight, where late braking and any DRS passes will concentrate, and at the first corner for lap-one incident. The banked turn should be the visual highlight and worth paying for if a stand overlooks it. Sections with elevation change tend to give the best sense of speed. If you want flexibility in year one, a roving or general admission ticket lets you find the good spots yourself.