Madring

Circuit History

Madrid returned to the Formula One calendar in 2026 with the opening of the Circuito de Madring, a purpose-built venue constructed around the IFEMA exhibition centre in the Valdebebas district of north-east Madrid. Located adjacent to Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport and around 10 miles (16km) from the city centre, the circuit combines temporary roads around the exhibition complex with permanent purpose-built sections to create a 3.365 mile (5.416km), 22-corner layout.

Formula One had not raced in the Spanish capital since the final Spanish Grand Prix at Jarama in 1981, although proposals to bring the championship back to Madrid had surfaced several times. A street circuit concept was presented to Formula One’s commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone in 2014 but failed to progress.

The modern project began to take shape after Isabel Díaz Ayuso became President of the Community of Madrid in 2019. Working alongside IFEMA Madrid, regional authorities made securing a Formula One race a strategic priority. Formal planning started during 2022, with discussions opening with Formula One later that year before a proposal was presented to Formula One President and CEO Stefano Domenicali in early 2023. The FIA subsequently gave its approval in principle during June 2023.

From Jarama to IFEMA

An interesting twist in the project’s development came through the appointment of Italian circuit designer Jarno Zaffelli. His company, Studio Dromo, had originally been commissioned in 2022 to investigate improvements to the historic Jarama circuit, but IFEMA instead asked the company to design an entirely new venue around its exhibition complex. The resulting layout combined public roads around the IFEMA halls with permanent sections built on adjacent land in Valdebebas, creating a hybrid circuit similar in concept to the Miami International Autodrome.

Formula One officially confirmed the project on 23 January 2024, announcing a ten-year agreement for Madrid to host the Spanish Grand Prix from 2026 until at least 2035. The circuit initially carried the formal name Circuito IFEMA Madrid, although the contraction “Madring” rapidly became the accepted name and was later adopted officially.

The arrival of the Madring altered the balance of Formula One in Spain. While Madrid inherited the historic Spanish Grand Prix title, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya remained on the calendar during 2026 under the title of the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, marking the first season since 2012 that Spain had hosted two Formula One World Championship events. Barcelona subsequently secured a rotational place on the calendar from 2028 onwards.

Building the circuit

Construction formally began on 25 April 2025 with a groundbreaking ceremony attended by Isabel Díaz Ayuso and Madrid-born Formula One driver Carlos Sainz Jr, who was appointed as circuit ambassador. The project progressed rapidly, with utility diversions beginning during June before earthworks and construction accelerated throughout the remainder of the year.

The permanent infrastructure was delivered by Acciona and Eiffage Construcción, while Eiffage also constructed the three-storey pit building. Featuring 14 modular garages and extensive hospitality facilities above, organisers described the complex as Formula One’s first fully covered paddock. Work continued throughout the winter of 2025-26, with the first sections of asphalt laid during December 2025 and surfacing progressively extended around the remainder of the circuit over the following months.

Construction remained on a demanding schedule, with crews working around the clock during the hottest periods of the Madrid summer. The final wearing course of asphalt was completed on 31 May 2026, allowing FIA inspection and homologation to begin. Final approval for Formula One competition was granted on 23 June 2026, after which work concentrated on grandstands, hospitality facilities and race infrastructure ahead of the inaugural event.

The completed layout

The completed circuit measures 3.365 miles (5.416km) and incorporates 22 corners. It is split into two distinct sections. The southern half winds around the IFEMA exhibition halls using temporary roads and features several slow, angular corners. Two short tunnels then carry the circuit beneath surrounding roads to the permanent northern section at Valdebebas, where higher-speed corners, elevation changes and the circuit’s signature feature, the heavily banked La Monumental corner, provide a very different character.

La Monumental, Turn 12, quickly became the circuit’s defining landmark. Around 500 metres in length with approximately 24 degrees of banking, it was designed by Studio Dromo as an evolution of the firm’s celebrated banking at Zandvoort. Cars are expected to enter the corner at speeds approaching 186mph (300km/h), making it one of the fastest and most distinctive corners on the Formula One calendar.

The design philosophy placed particular emphasis on overtaking opportunities, with major braking zones at Turns 1, 5, 11 and 17. Organisers also highlighted practical innovations including the absence of service covers within the racing surface, all underground utilities being routed clear of the track, and extensive use of existing IFEMA infrastructure to reduce temporary construction.

Legal dispute over the circuit design

As the circuit neared completion, its design became the subject of a legal dispute involving Studio Dromo, the Tilke Group and IFEMA Madrid. Studio Dromo had produced the original concept and undertaken the initial design work before its appointment ended during 2025, after which IFEMA engaged the Tilke Group to complete the project. Dromo subsequently alleged that elements of its design work and technical documentation had been used without authorisation in the later stages of the project, while IFEMA and Tilke rejected those claims.

The dispute proceeded through both the Spanish and German courts. Applications by Dromo for precautionary measures against IFEMA in Spain were unsuccessful, while proceedings in Germany resulted in the Regional Court of Cologne granting interim measures concerning certain design documents said to be at issue between Dromo and Tilke. The proceedings centred on the use of design material rather than the construction of the circuit itself, with reports indicating that Dromo was seeking damages in excess of €6 million. At the time of the circuit’s inauguration, no final judgment had been delivered.

Beyond the commercial disagreement, the case attracted wider interest within the motorsport industry because it raised questions about the ownership of circuit designs. One of the issues before the court was the extent to which the layout and detailed design of a racing circuit, developed within FIA technical and safety requirements, could attract copyright protection under European law. Whatever the eventual outcome, the proceedings are not expected to affect the staging of the inaugural Madrid Grand Prix, with both Formula One and the FIA making clear that the event would proceed as planned. Jarno Zaffelli has been quoted as saying his aim with the lawsuit is not to stop the project but rather to gain professional recognition for his company's part in its design.

First Formula One laps

After the layout received its initial FIA homologation, Ferrari became the first team to use the new venue 9 July 2026, conducting an FIA-regulated filming day with its SF-26. Charles Leclerc completed the opening laps during the morning session before Lewis Hamilton took over later in the day, each driver covering up to 100km on Pirelli demonstration tyres as permitted under the filming day regulations.

While primarily a promotional exercise, the session also served as an important operational test ahead of the inaugural Madrid Grand Prix. It allowed organisers to validate the circuit’s safety systems, communications, race control procedures and track operations under live Formula One conditions for the first time. Ferrari, meanwhile, gained its first opportunity to evaluate the new 5.416km layout, albeit within the mileage and tyre restrictions imposed on filming days. The successful completion of the test represented another significant milestone in the circuit’s preparations.

Inaugural race

The circuit will make its competitive debut during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend of 11-13 September 2026, with the race held on Sunday 13 September. The event marked Formula One’s first appearance in Madrid for 45 years and will inaugurate one of the championship’s largest new venues. Initial capacity stands at approximately 110,000 spectators, with infrastructure designed to allow expansion towards 140,000 during the early years of the circuit’s hosting agreement.

The Madring represents one of Formula One’s most ambitious modern venue developments, combining permanent circuit engineering with temporary street sections while making extensive use of existing exhibition facilities. Whether it establishes itself alongside the championship’s classic venues will ultimately be determined by the quality of the racing, but its arrival restored Grand Prix racing to Spain’s capital for the first time since the Jarama era.

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