Formula 1 have announced that Madrid will host the Spanish Grand Prix on a nine-year contract from 2026 season onwards.
Madrid will become the seventh Spanish venue to host a F1 race with the circuit set to be constructed around the IFEMA Exhibition Centre, containing a mix of street and non-street sections with a total of 20 corners.
Qualifying lap times are predicted to be around one minute and 32 seconds and the action will initially be held in front of a 110,000 crowd capacity, with view to grow to 140,000 spectators in further years.
The nine-year contract will commence in 2026 and run until the end of the 2035 season.
“Madrid is an incredible city with amazing sporting and cultural heritage, and today’s announcement begins an exciting new chapter for F1 in Spain,” commented Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1.
Domenicali proceeded to “thank” everyone involved in the project for their work on the successful proposal and iterted that the race “… 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.”
FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem added: “Modern Formula 1 cars racing on a new circuit in the Spanish capital city of Madrid is an enticing prospect.
“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 and safety checks and calendar approval by the World Motor Sport Council.”
Jose Vicente de los Mozos, President of the Executive Committee of IFEMA Madrid, described the announcement as completion of their “dream” to host a F1 race, and is “thrilled” that F1 is finally back in Madrid for the first time since 1981.
Circuito del Jarama was the only previous circuit in Madrid to host a F1 race between 1967 and 81, initially on rotation with Montjuic until 1975, before assuming full responsibility for the following six years from 1976 after Montjuic was dropped for safety reaons.
De los Mozos went on to state his intention that Madrid can “…organise a Grand Prix that will become a reference in the F1 worldwide calendar, specifically conceptualized and designed to offer a distinctive and unique experience for both fans and teams participating in the competition.”
Pedralbes, Jerez, Catalunya and Valencia have previously hosted F1 races, although the former trio plus Jarama and Montjuic hosted the Spanish GP whereas Valencia hosted the European GP.
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