Madrid beckons

The Spanish city of the ‘Oso y el Madroño’(Bear and the Strawberry Tree) has been announced as the newest addition to the Formula 1 calendar, starting in 2026, setting off a flurry of speculation about the fate of the Barcelona Grand Prix.

Yesterday, F1 announced that the Spanish Grand Prix will be held in Madrid from 2026 to 2035 following an agreement with Institución Ferial de Madrid (IFEMA) to bring an all-new circuit to the Spanish capital, incorporating both street and non-street sections.

“Madrid is an incredible city with amazing sporting and cultural heritage, and today’s announcement begins an exciting new chapter for F1 in Spain,” said F1 chief executive and president Stefano Domenicali.

“It truly epitomises Formula 1’s vision to create a multi-day spectacle of sport and entertainment that delivers maximum value for fans and embraces innovation and sustainability.”

Built around the IFEMA exhibition centre, the anticipated 5.47km circuit will feature 20 corners, with a projected qualifying lap time of one minute 32 seconds.

It is set to host 110,000 fans per day, with plans to grow the circuit’s capacity to 140,000 per day during the first five years, making Madrid one of the largest venues on the F1 calendar.

“Modern Formula 1 cars racing on a new circuit in the Spanish capital city of Madrid is an enticing prospect,” added Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

“As we build towards the introduction of the FIA 2026 Formula One regulations, which have been framed with Net Zero carbon by 2030 in mind, it is pleasing to see that the local organisers have placed a sharp focus on environmental sustainability in their plans for the event.

“As is customary, the proposed circuit will be subject to FIA homologation (approval) and safety checks and calendar approval by the World Motor Sport Council.”

Located five minutes from the Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suarez airport, it is estimated that 90 per cent of fans will be able to travel to the paddock via public transport, while those staying in nearby accommodation will be a short walk away from the venue.

In addition to the Grand Prix, fan activations will take place in Downtown Madrid. The F1 Grand Prix is expected to generate a projected €450m to the city’s economy per year.

“Our dream of hosting a major F1 event around IFEMA has come true,” said IFEMA executive committee president Jose Vicente de los Mozos.

“We are thrilled to announce the return of F1 to Madrid after more than four decades.

“With this, Madrid wants to deep dive into the development of a new concept that combines sport and entertainment, while delivering a memorable event.”

Madrid mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida noted that with the latest addition to the 2026 racing calendar, “Madrid moves into the future and joins the exclusive group of cities hosting F1 today.”

Meanwhile, experts and industry veterans have been questioning what this might mean for the current Spanish Grand Prix being held at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Barcelona, which is one of the oldest races in the world still being contested.

The first-ever Spanish Grand Prix was held more than 100 years ago, at the Catalunya circuit in 1913. However, there is no official word on the fate of the circuit, which celebrated the centenary of its first ever F1 race last year and is confirmed to be on the calendar until 2025 at least.

The new addition of Madrid will not change the 2024 F1 calendar, which was announced in July last year and will kick off in Bahrain in just over a month.