F1 is back in Madrid for the first time in 45 years. The Madring circuit is brand new, the first all-new circuit added to the calendar since Las Vegas in 2023, and nobody has raced it.
The Madring circuit is 5.416 kilometers, 22 corners, built around the IFEMA exhibition center and Valdebebas. It's a hybrid of existing roads and purpose-built sections. It is currently on a ten-year deal through 2035.
The last F1 race in Madrid was 1981 at Jarama, which is a narrow, permanent circuit north of the city. It hosted the Spanish GP nine times before F1 dropped it because it was too hard to overtake on. It still exists, and it's hosting Formula E this year.
That final race was Villeneuve's last F1 win, and it was one of the great defensive drives. He held off four quicker cars throughout the race and the top five finished within 1.24 seconds. Second closest finish in F1 history.
Turn 1 is 200 meters from the lights. It's a tight chicane almost straight off the line. With 2026's start procedures and the spread between power units, the first corner will be the thing to watch this race. Turn 12, La Monumental, is the longest banked corner that F1 has raced on. It's 550 meters at 24% banking, the steepest the FIA allows. At the exit, drivers will be flying blind.
And on top of all that, nobody has data from this track. There's no lap records, no track specialists, and no setup baseline. Sounds fun, right? It's a standard weekend, so the three practice sessions will definitely come in handy. Whoever adapts fastest on Friday will have the advantage for the weekend.
After this, it's Baku, Singapore, Austin, Mexico, Brazil, Vegas, Qatar, then Abu Dhabi. Eight flyaways before the season is finished, and man has time flown by.
Antonelli will be arriving to Madrid with a 66 point lead ahead of Russell after having just won from nineteenth in Monza.