Spanish Grand Prix 2026: Can football-obsessed Madrid embrace F1?

As the Prado museum demonstrates, Madrid knows its fine art.

The crossing signals resemble birdsong and the Mexican conifers gently sway over the waiting traffic with a backdrop of stunning Palaciosian architecture, which is in contrast to the relatively flat, block layout of the inner city.

This may not have made for the best race experience so instead, organisers plumped for what outsiders may see as an unloved expo area run by the quasi-state owned Ifema organisation next to the city’s airport.

“It started as a joke, it was a fantasy,” says Luis Garcia Abad, Madring boss and former manager to Spain’s only world champion Fernando Alonso, among other Spanish sports stars.

“An F1 grand prix is like a unicorn – you are trying always to see the unicorn but at the end you realise [sometimes] it’s impossible.

“The queue of cities trying to organise an F1 GP is huge. They have to choose right – we signed a contract for 10 years.

“Maybe seven or eight years ago we talked about this race. At some point Ifema called me and said ‘what are you thinking [about its viability]?’ After one morning [here] I said: ‘It’s possible.’

The new venue may be a world away from the flamenco-inspired boutiques and wine bars of the intimate Salamanca district, but Madrid is relatively diminutive compared to other high-profile capitals, and has high-quality public transport.

As a result, organisers are cutting out many of the car parks and asking fans to leave their own motors at home.

But don’t expect Patrick Dempsey, Rafael Nadal and Mbappe to be standing on the platform of Avenida de America to hop on the pink line to the circuit – they will breathe easy at the VIP spaces near to the expansive six-strong VIP area paddock.

Regardless of the journey there, what will fans find?

“It’s a real experience, not just to be in Madrid but for F1,” says Abad. “Every part of the track has its own personality. Monumental… Turn 12, is huge, amazing.

“We really wanted to have an iconic part of the circuit – more than 30,000 people around one corner.”

Ah yes, Monumental. The corner everyone in F1 is talking about when discussing this race.

A 26-degree banked challenge, substantially longer than the one at the Dutch Grand Prix’s Zandvoort. Monumental scythes through what will feel like a small town come race day.

It comes complete with a VIP viewing area that could house the King of Spain and his family and sits, appropriately, like a castle on top of the hill. It’s a difficult structure to walk up, and in 44C heat, impossible to sit on.

“Luis wanted to think of something recognisable in our circuit. Something iconic,” says operations director for Ifema Carlos Jimenez.

Monumental was not the only complex part of a track build, which Jimenez says lends itself to sustainability. Power for the race comes from renewable energy and there is partial use of existing buildings around the site. However, additional construction around the circuit has seen 65m euros of investment, and the track itself cost 85m euros alone.

“There were a lot of challenges,” he says. “We started building it in the wettest winter in 20 years in Spain. The rain was torrential. We suffered a lot, and had to stabilise parts of clay which behaves badly with wet conditions. It was very challenging. There are three layers of asphalt here. We learnt from one layer to the next.

“In 2022 it seemed like a little bit of a crazy idea,” adds Jimenez. “But Madrid has momentum right now; it’s a vibrant city, very well known for football.

“Like a ski resort must have entertainment for apres-ski, a circuit must have good after-race entertainment. Madrid will become in top position – the offer of this city is incredible in terms of gastronomy, a spectacular climate, which is very mild in September. And the party in Madrid is unbeatable.”