When was the track built?

Madring is a brand-new project rather than a revived old circuit. Construction began in 2025 around IFEMA Madrid and the Valdebebas area, with completion targeted ahead of the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix. The venue has been conceived as a semi-urban hybrid, using exhibition-centre land, purpose-built sections and public roads rather than following the classic all-street template. During the build, organisers have made a point of stressing details that matter to racers and fans alike - a no-manhole surface, a new pit building integrated into IFEMA, and the spectacular La Monumental banked curve that is meant to become the visual signature of the whole place.

When was its first race?

As of the 2026 season opener, Madring has not yet hosted a race. Its first scheduled race weekend is the Spanish Grand Prix weekend of 11-13 September 2026. The first actual competitive races are expected to come from the FIA Formula 3 and FIA Formula 2 support bill on Saturday, with the inaugural Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix following on Sunday 13 September 2026. That makes Madring not just a new circuit, but Madrid's return to world championship Formula 1 for the first time since Jarama in 1981.

What's the circuit like?

• Big-stop opening sector: Turn 1 is designed as an obvious overtaking zone, with cars arriving from around 320 km/h on the main straight before heavy braking into the first complex. Turn 3 then fires the field onto the longest straight of the lap.
• La Monumental headline corner: Turn 12 is the showpiece - roughly 550 metres long with 24% banking, taken at ferocious speed and surrounded by a bowl of spectators. It should be one of the most distinctive corners on the modern calendar.
• Passing chances after the spectacle: Turn 13 is a natural attack point after the banked section, while Turn 17 and the tight Turn 20 should also reward late brakers. Get the exit wrong and the whole sector unravels.
• Fast-linked middle sector: The Valdebebas sequence through Turns 14-16 looks built for commitment. Drivers who trust the car on direction change and keep minimum speed high should gain big chunks of time there.
• Mixed grip and rhythm: Because the lap mixes fresh permanent-style asphalt and public-road character, grip could evolve quickly across a race weekend. Expect a green track early, then rapid improvement once support series lay rubber down.
• Elevation and urban challenges: Official previews already point to notable elevation change, and the section around the tunnel and final corners adds a tighter, wall-near feel after the wide-open speed of La Monumental and the back half of the lap.

Lap records and benchmarks

• Formula 1 - race lap: No official record yet. The circuit makes its championship debut in 2026.
• Formula 2 - race lap: No official record yet. Madrid joins the 2026 F2 calendar for the first time.
• Formula 3 - race lap: No official record yet. Madrid is also a new venue on the 2026 F3 schedule.
• Promoter benchmark: A published reference lap of about 1:34.4 gives a rough idea of the intended pace, but it is not an official race record.
• Context: Early concept versions of the circuit were slightly different, so the first real benchmarks in September 2026 will matter more than any pre-opening projections.

For a new circuit like this, the first F3, F2 and F1 sessions will be fascinating because the opening weekend usually rewrites every expectation about grip, tyre warm-up, braking points and overtaking quality.

Why go?

Madring has the ingredients for a proper event race, not just a track on a map. You get a new circuit with fresh curiosity around every braking zone, grandstands built around a banked centrepiece corner, and a location only minutes from Madrid-Barajas airport and the city itself. For fans planning a trip, that matters. Madrid gives you late dinners, bars that stay alive long after the chequered flag, world-class museums, huge football-city energy and the feeling that the whole weekend can spill beyond the gates. Add in the home-crowd factor around Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz, and the atmosphere should be loud from the first support race onward.

Where's the best place to watch?

• Turns 1-3 - Alta Velocidad grandstand: The best early pick for overtaking. You get the start, the first major braking zone and the drag onto the longest straight.
• Turn 12 - Peraltada Monumental: The signature view. This is the visual statement of the circuit, with the steep banking, high speed and a huge crowd wrapped around the corner.
• Turns 10-12 - Chicane / El Mirador area: A smart choice if you want to see the technical set-up into La Monumental and who attacks the banked section with confidence.
• Turn 13-14: Ideal for watching out-braking attempts after the banked corner, plus the launch into the fast linked Valdebebas sequence.
• Tunnel exit and Turns 18-19: A dramatic spot where the lap changes character, from enclosed tunnel section to fast sweep past the IFEMA halls.
• Turn 20 and the final sector: The slowest part of the lap should create mistakes, bold dives and traction battles before the run back to the line.

Not just one series - headline events at Madring

Formula 1: The FORMULA 1 TAG HEUER GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA begins here in 2026, returning world championship racing to Madrid after a 45-year wait.

FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3: Both support categories are confirmed for the Madrid weekend, which means the circuit's first real racing story should be written by the stars of tomorrow before the F1 main event.

What that means for fans: Even on debut, this is not a one-race show. A full F1 weekend at Madring should deliver sprint and feature races from the main feeder categories, plenty of track action and the chance to watch future Grand Prix drivers learn a brand-new circuit in real time.