When was the track built?

Jarama was conceived in the 1960s when Spain badly needed a permanent racing home instead of relying on public-road and street circuits. Earthworks began in the mid-1960s, with the track officially inaugurated in 1967 under the Real Automóvil Club de España. John Hugenholtz, the designer behind Zandvoort and Suzuka, gave Madrid a proper driver's circuit - narrow, technical, full of named corners and never easy to master. The original layout measured 3.404 km, then a major 1989-1990 remodelling stretched it to the current 3.850 km. A full resurfacing in 2018 modernised the grip and drainage without changing the place's old-school character, and Formula E's 2026 visit brings a temporary main-straight chicane that creates yet another layout variation.

When was its first race?

Jarama's first race was a pre-inaugural event on December 18, 1966, won by Juan Fernández in a Porsche 911. That was effectively a dress rehearsal for the circuit's official launch. The first full official race meeting followed on July 23, 1967, when Jim Clark won the Formula 2 Gran Premio de Madrid. Jarama then stepped onto the biggest stages very quickly - a non-championship Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix in November 1967, the first world championship Spanish Grand Prix there in 1968 won by Graham Hill, and the first world championship motorcycle Grand Prix at the circuit in 1969.

What's the circuit like?

• Narrow and technical: Jarama is one of those tracks where the width matters almost as much as the cornering. With only 9 metres minimum width and a short main straight, passing is never simple and track position usually matters more than at wider modern circuits.
• Fangio is the first big test: After the gentle Nuvolari kink, the heavy-braking right-hander at Fangio is the clearest overtaking spot on the lap. If you are going to force a move early, this is where it usually starts.
• Flow matters through the middle: Varzi, Le Mans and Farina link together in a rhythm section that rewards confidence and precision. Jarama punishes any driver who attacks one corner without thinking about the next two.
• Pegaso and the climb: The uphill run through Pegaso is one of the circuit's defining sensations. Cars and bikes work hard here, and getting the balance right before Ascari and Portago is critical.
• Downhill drama at Bugatti: The Bugatti section drops away and can catch out the impatient. It is one of the best places to watch a really good driver because the fast ones look smooth while the struggling ones look busy.
• María de Villota decides the straight: The final corner is not glamorous, but it is vital. A poor exit there leaves you exposed all the way back down the main straight, especially in touring cars, prototypes and junior single-seaters.
• History proves the point: Jarama has long been known as a difficult place to overtake. Gilles Villeneuve's brilliant 1981 Spanish Grand Prix win, holding off a queue of faster cars for lap after lap, remains the perfect example of what this circuit does to a race.

Lap records and benchmarks

• Current Grand Prix layout - official race lap (3.850 km): 1:20.011 - Yelmer Buurman - Panoz DP09B - 2009 - Superleague Formula.
• Current layout prototype reference: 1:23.034 - Emanuele Pirro - Audi R8 - 2001 - European Le Mans Series LMP900.
• Current layout single-seater reference: 1:23.530 - Ricardo Zonta - Dallara SN01 - 2002 - Formula Nissan.
• Classic original Grand Prix layout - official Formula 1 race lap (3.404 km): 1:16.440 - Gilles Villeneuve - Ferrari 312T4 - 1979.
• Why the split matters: Jarama's old F1, motorcycle and touring-car legends were built on the shorter pre-1990 layout, so classic benchmarks and modern full-course benchmarks should not be mixed together.
• Future context: Formula E's 2026 Madrid E-Prix uses a modified version with a main-straight chicane, so any electric single-seater times will sit in their own category rather than replacing the standard 3.850 km figures.

Jarama is one of those circuits where stopwatch numbers only tell half the story. The lap looks short on paper, but the narrow width, constant direction change and short recovery time between corners make a quick lap feel relentless.

Why go?

Because Jarama feels like a proper racing circuit, not a generic venue with a famous name attached. The place is woven into Spanish motorsport history, from F1 and world championship bikes to touring cars, trucks and modern Formula E. For fans planning a trip, the big selling point is that you get this old-school atmosphere only a short drive north of central Madrid. That means race weekend by day, then tapas, late dinners and a world-class city by night. Jarama also works well in person - you can feel the elevation, hear engines working hard up Pegaso and watch drivers wrestle a technical lap that still demands commitment half a century after the first Grand Prix came here.

Where's the best place to watch?

• Main straight and Fangio: The best all-round place to start. You get the pit lane, the start, and the biggest braking zone on the lap as cars dive into Turn 2.
• Varzi to Le Mans: A great section for seeing Jarama's rhythm. Fast drivers look beautifully connected through here, while mistakes snowball quickly.
• Pegaso and Ascari: One of the most characterful spots on the circuit. You can really appreciate the climb, the weight transfer and the commitment needed to keep momentum alive.
• Portago into Bugatti: Excellent for watching racecraft and car control. The downhill change in attitude through Bugatti is one of Jarama's signature visual moments.
• María de Villota and the run to the line: A smart place to watch late-race pressure, exit speed and any move being set up for Fangio on the following lap.

Not just one series - headline events at Circuito del Jarama

Formula E and modern single-seaters: Jarama joins the world championship electric scene with the 2026 Madrid E-Prix, while the circuit's current calendar also includes the Spanish Winter Championship, Formula 4 and other junior single-seater categories that suit its technical layout perfectly.

Historic and heritage racing: Jarama Classic is one of the circuit's great annual draws, filling the place with historic touring cars, GTs and old racing machinery on a track that still looks right for them.

Trucks, touring cars and club racing: The FIA European Truck Racing Championship Spanish Grand Prix remains one of Jarama's biggest modern spectator events, backed by strong national touring-car and club-racing programmes.

Two-wheel history and current bike events: Jarama hosted world championship motorcycle racing for years and still keeps bikes in the picture with modern national events and track activity.

The legends: This is also the circuit of nine Spanish Grands Prix, sixteen motorcycle world championship events and one of the most famous defensive drives in F1 history - Gilles Villeneuve's 1981 masterpiece. Jarama has never been just one thing, and that is a huge part of its appeal.