Formula 1 announced that the Spanish Grand Prix will be held in Madrid from 2026 to 2035 following an agreement with IFEMA MADRID to include both street and non-street sections.The circuit will feature 20 corners, with a projected qualifying lap time of 1 minute 32 seconds.
It is initially projected to accomodate 110,000 fans per day across grandstand, general admission, and VIP hospitality, while there are plans to grow the circuit’s capacity to 140,000 per day which would make Madrid one of the largest venues on the F1 calendar. Located five minutes from the Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suarez airport, the Spanish Grand Prix will become one of the most accessible races.
IFEMA MADRID’s comprehensive proposal received widespread support from national, regional, and local government, including key stakeholders such as the Regional Government of Madrid, the Madrid City Council, and the Chamber of Commerce.
The Grand Prix is expected to generate a projected €450m to the city’s economy per year.
“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 Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1.
“I would like to thank the team at IFEMA MADRID, the Regional Government of Madrid and the city’s Mayor for putting together a fantastic proposal. 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.”
So where does this leave the Spanish GP in Barcelona? Domenicali says:
“For the avoidance of doubt and to clarify here, the fact we are in Madrid is not excluding the fact we could stay in Barcelona for the future,” he says.
“Looking ahead, there are discussions in place to see if we can really extend our collaboration with Barcelona, with whom we have a very good relationship, for the future.”
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Very surprised to see a track without long blasting straights join the calendar.
Is 100,000-140,000 seats really one of the largest on the calendar?
“11 races this season saw weekend attendances of over 300,000, while four – Australia, Britain, Austin and Mexico City – exceeded 400,000. ” source F1Destinations.com
Or am I reading that wrong and the ‘weekend attendance’ means counting people up from all three days?