Formula 1 heads to Madrid for the Spanish Grand Prix from September 11-13, with the 14th round of the 2026 season marking the championship’s first visit to the new Madring circuit.
The race comes after a remarkable Italian Grand Prix in Monza, where Kimi Antonelli produced one of the standout drives of the season. Starting from 19th on the grid after a penalty, the Mercedes driver fought his way through the field to take victory in front of his home crowd, becoming the first Italian to win at Monza since 1966.
Antonelli eventually passed team-mate George Russell to complete a Mercedes 1-2 and further strengthen his grip on the drivers’ championship. The Italian now leads the standings with 267 points, 66 clear of Russell, while Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton is third on 191.
Mercedes also extended its advantage in the constructors’ championship after the Monza result. The team now has 468 points, 122 clear of Ferrari on 346. With both championships firmly in Mercedes’ hands, the team heads to Madrid with plenty of momentum.
Ferrari’s Monza weekend could hardly have gone worse. Charles Leclerc and Hamilton started from the second row but immediately went wheel-to-wheel at the opening chicane, with Hamilton running wide into the gravel and dropping down the order. Leclerc’s race ended on the second lap when he lost control at the Parabolica while fighting with Oscar Piastri and crashed into the barriers.
Hamilton recovered to finish sixth but could not challenge the Mercedes cars for a podium. He later described the result as “a bit devastating” and “tough to swallow,” with the growing gap to the championship leaders leaving his and Ferrari’s title hopes increasingly out of reach.
A completely new challenge in Madrid
Mercedes’ momentum will now be tested on a circuit that nobody has raced on before. Madring combines public roads with purpose-built sections around Madrid’s IFEMA exhibition center and features 22 corners over a 5.4-kilometre lap.
The track is fast and unforgiving, with several high-speed sections running close to the walls. Cars can reach around 340 km/h, while the circuit includes long straights, heavy braking zones and sequences of fast corners that leave little room for mistakes.
The most distinctive section is Turn 12, known as La Monumental. The 548-metre corner has 24% banking and will see drivers spend around six seconds turning at high speed. Its semicircular shape, inspired by a bullring, makes it one of the most unusual corners on the Formula 1 calendar.
The combination of speed and limited run-off has already raised questions about how difficult the circuit will be. Formula 3 drivers encountered several incidents during recent testing, underlining how little margin there is for error on the new layout.
Max Verstappen has also warned that the track could be particularly demanding. After driving the circuit on a simulator, the Red Bull driver compared parts of Madring to Jeddah because of its fast corners and walls close to the track.
“It’s really tricky. And it seems like there are spots that tend to cause big crashes,” Verstappen said, adding that the proximity of the walls reminded him of the Saudi Arabian street circuit. He also pointed out that several braking zones are angled, which could make overtaking more difficult because drivers have to brake while already turning.
That could make qualifying especially important in Madrid, while teams will also have to learn quickly how the new asphalt behaves and how the tyres respond over a full race distance. With no previous Formula 1 data from the circuit, Friday’s practice sessions will be particularly valuable.
Can anyone stop Mercedes?
The main question heading into Madrid is whether Mercedes can maintain its advantage on a completely different type of circuit.
Antonelli arrives as the clear championship leader after seven victories this season, while Russell has also played a major role in Mercedes’ dominant position. The pair’s consistency has allowed the team to build a 122-point advantage over Ferrari.
McLaren and Red Bull will be among the teams hoping to close that gap, while Ferrari needs a response after its disappointing home race. The uncertainty surrounding Madring could also give rivals an opportunity if Mercedes struggles to adapt to the new circuit.
For Antonelli, however, the target is clear. After one of the most impressive victories of his young career at Monza, the championship leader now faces a completely different test in Madrid as he looks to extend Mercedes’ advantage at the top of both championships.
Spanish Grand Prix schedule (Moroccan time)
Friday, September 11
- Free Practice 1: 12:30 – 13:30
- Free Practice 2: 16:00 – 17:00
Saturday, September 12
- Free Practice 3: 11:30 – 12:30
- Qualifying: 15:00 – 16:00
Sunday, September 13
- Spanish Grand Prix: 14:00
