Guide to the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix as F1 hits the end of the European phase of the season.
Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli arrives in Madrid with a 66-point title lead over teammate, George Russell after his dramatic home win in Italy from 19th on the grid, whilst Lewis Hamilton sits a further 10 points behind in third with his title chances now thought to look slim.
This race also marks F1’s return to Madrid after a 45-year absence – having last raced in the Spanish Capital in 1981 at Jarama, and marks the debut of the Madring which is a new track making its bow in motorsport.
The Madring has replaced Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as the Spanish GP host, although the latter remained on the calendar this season for contractual reasons under the Barcelona-Catalunya GP, meaning that this is the second home race for Spain’s Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz.
Now, here is a full guide to everything that you need to know ahead of 2026 Spanish Grand Prix.
Track Guide
Laps: 57
Race Distance: 308.524km
Tyre Selection: C2, C3, C4
Schedule
| Date | Session | Time (BST) |
| Friday 11 September | FP1 | 12:30pm |
| Friday 11 September | FP2 | 4:00pm |
| Saturday 12 September | FP3 | 11:30am |
| Saturday 12 September | Qualifying | 3:00pm |
| Sunday 13 September | Race | 2:00pm |
Three Key Pointers
- Maximising practice time will be absolutely important to understanding how best to set up the car for qualifying and the race.
- Tyre management will be absolutely key across both qualifying and the race such is the level of strain put on the tyres across each lap.
- F3 testing in late August produced 19 red flags across just two days so there is potential for plenty of stoppages if drivers make mistakes which are easily punished here.