The highly-anticipated Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid is finally here as drivers prepare for their next challenge on a brand-new circuit -- the Madring.
Teams and drivers will be stepping into the unknown with no historic data available to help predict and build strategies as Formula 1 heads into the business end of the season.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the race to round off the European leg of the season.
What is the Madring?
The Madring is a hybrid between a street circuit and a purpose-built track, using a mixture of public roads and private land around the IFEMA Madrid exhibition centre.
It is similar in concept to the Miami International Autodrome, which also combines existing roads with sections constructed specifically for Formula 1.
The Madring is 5.416km long and features 22 corners. Sunday’s race will take place over 57 laps.
Cars are expected to reach speeds of up to 340kph, while the circuit also features significant changes in elevation, banked corners, long straights, heavy braking zones and two tunnel sections.
Has F1 raced in Madrid before?
Formula 1 is returning to Madrid for the first time since 1981, when the Spanish Grand Prix was held at Jarama, around 30 kilometres north of the city.
The Madring is located in the Barajas and Valdebebas district area of Madrid and is around 10 miles northeast of downtown Madrid.
Nobody has raced here before, so what can we expect?
This is one of the biggest talking points heading into Madrid as no one has raced on this circuit before, leaving teams without the years of data they can call upon at established tracks.
The layout should provide several different challenges -- while overtaking was a consideration in the design.
The 589-metre main straight leads into one of the circuit’s main passing opportunities at Turn 1, where cars are expected to brake from around 320kph to 100kph.
Turn 13 provides another chance immediately after La Monumental, with drivers slowing from more than 300kph to around 140kph.
Turns 14, 15 and 16 then form the fast Las Enlazadas de Valdebebas sequence before another heavy braking zone at Turn 17, where speeds are expected to fall from around 280kph to 100kph.
The corner everyone is talking about
The track has 22 corners, but the one that has a 45,000 capacity grandstand installed to watch over is called La Monumental; a 550-metre semicircular banked corner inspired by the shape of a traditional Spanish bullring.
This will become the longest corner on the F1 calendar which features a 24% gradient, with drivers expected to spend around six seconds navigating it.
Williams driver Carlos Sainz got a first taste of the corner earlier this year and highlighted its blind nature.
“This is what has impressed me the most,” Sainz said. “All you can see is the sky.”
Have any F1 drivers driven at Madring?
Sainz is the only F1 driver on the grid to have driven around the Madring when he did a full lap in a Ford Mustang GT in May ahead of its debut.
Last year, he also drove his Williams FW45 in a live exhibition demonstration on a section of the track.
The Spaniard is a circuit ambassador and has given his design advice and track expertise.
Why has the Spanish GP moved to Madrid?
The Spanish Grand Prix had been held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya every year since 1991, but Madrid agreed a long-term deal to host the race from 2026.
But that does not mean Barcelona has disappeared from Formula 1 altogether.
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya hosted the renamed Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix earlier this season and has a separate agreement to remain on the calendar, rotating with the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps from 2027.
Madrid, meanwhile, takes over the Spanish Grand Prix name.
How easy is it to get to the Madring?
Accessibility has been one of the major selling points of F1’s new Madrid venue.
Unlike many circuits situated well outside major cities, the Madring is connected to Madrid’s public transport network and sits just a few minutes from Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport.
Metro Line 8 serves the IFEMA area, while the circuit can also be reached by commuter rail and bus services.
There will be no general spectator parking at the circuit, with organisers encouraging fans to use public transport.
The circuit’s northern section also runs alongside Real Madrid’s training complex in Valdebebas, with only around 200 metres separating the Madring’s northern entrance and the main gate of Real Madrid City.
How long will F1 race in Madrid?
Madrid agreed a 10-year deal with Formula 1 when the race was announced in 2024, meaning the Madring is scheduled to host the Spanish Grand Prix every year through 2035.
The inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring takes place from Sept. 11-13.
