STAR F1 PREVIEW: 2026 Spanish Grand Prix

The Formula One circus heads to Madrid for the first ever Spanish Grand Prix at Madring, a brand-new circuit that could rip up the form book, writes WILLIAM KEDJANYI.

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2026 Spanish Grand Prix
Madring, Madrid, Spain
All coverage live on Sky Sports F1, Sky Go & NOW – times in BST
1️⃣ Practice One: 12.30pm Friday
1️⃣ Practice Two: 4pm Friday
1️⃣ Practice Three: 11.30am Saturday
⏰ Qualifying: 3pm Saturday
🏆 Race: 2pm Sunday

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The Story from Monza

Kimi Antonelli arrives in Madrid with a commanding lead in the Drivers’ Championship after producing one of the drives of the season at Monza, recovering from 19th on the grid to win his home Grand Prix ahead of Mercedes team-mate George Russell.

Antonelli now leads Russell by 66 points, with Lewis Hamilton another 10 points behind in third. Mercedes remain the dominant force in the Constructors’ Championship, although Ferrari and McLaren have both shown enough pace during the European season to suggest Madring could provide a very different test.

The biggest unknown is the circuit itself. No Formula One race has ever been held at Madring, meaning the teams begin the weekend without the years of set-up knowledge, tyre data and race-strategy history available at established venues.

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🇪🇸 Madring Circuit Guide

Madring is a 5.416km, 22-corner hybrid circuit which combines public roads with purpose-built sections around the IFEMA area of Madrid.

The lap contains relatively few conventional straights, with drivers instead moving through a near-constant sequence of corners and acceleration zones. Cars are expected to reach around 340kph, while the variation between slow-speed traction zones and faster loaded corners should make finding the right aerodynamic compromise particularly difficult.

The defining feature is Turn 12 – La Monumental, a sweeping 180-degree right-hander with 24% banking. The corner stretches for roughly half a kilometre and should place considerable sustained load through the tyres while rewarding cars with strong high-speed balance.

Overtaking opportunities are expected into Turns 1 and 4, but elsewhere the walls and narrow sections could make track position especially valuable. That makes Saturday qualifying potentially even more important than normal.

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💬 What the Drivers Have Said

Ferrari have a potentially useful head start after Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc completed limited running at Madring during a filming day earlier this summer. Hamilton’s early impression was that the layout could place particular importance on qualifying, while Leclerc was enthusiastic about the challenge posed by the circuit – particularly the commitment required through the spectacular banked La Monumental.

Carlos Sainz has been one of the drivers most closely associated with the new venue and believes Madring combines characteristics found at demanding street circuits such as Jeddah, Baku and Macau. The Williams driver has also warned that interruptions could become a major feature of the weekend, with the proximity of the barriers and unfamiliarity of the circuit increasing the potential for yellow flags, Safety Cars and red flags.

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli believes Madring may be the most complicated circuit of the season from both a driving and engineering perspective. The Mercedes driver highlighted the extraordinary variety of corners – including chicanes, fast sections, banking and braking zones where drivers are still turning – and suggested finding one set-up capable of working well across the entire lap will be particularly difficult.

Team-mate George Russell was even more forthright after preparing in the simulator. Having heard that Formula 3 testing produced 19 red flags, Russell joked that after driving the circuit virtually he was surprised the number had been so low. He considers the Madring potentially the riskiest circuit on the calendar, underlining just how little margin for error drivers expect to have.

Alex Albon also sees similarities with Macau, pointing particularly to the combination of high-speed corners, close walls and blind sections. His most interesting observation from a betting perspective concerns overtaking: Albon expects differences in energy deployment to be more important than conventional late-braking moves, with the shape of several braking zones making it relatively easy for a defending driver to cover the road.

Pierre Gasly expects the weekend to build in a similar fashion to Monaco, with drivers initially leaving themselves margin before progressively attacking as grip improves and confidence grows. He also expects interruptions and has openly suggested a red flag is a strong possibility. That combination could make qualifying particularly unpredictable if track evolution is substantial and a late stoppage prevents drivers from completing their final laps.

The overall picture is of a circuit that drivers expect to be fast, unforgiving and unusually difficult to optimise. Madring may reward confidence over a single lap, but the mixture of blind corners, walls, rapidly improving grip and complicated energy deployment means simply having the fastest car may not be enough

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🚩 Safety Cars and Red Flags

Chaos could play a major role in the inaugural Madring weekend.

Formula 3 testing at the circuit produced a high number of stoppages, while Sainz has openly suggested drivers should expect Safety Cars, red flags and yellow flags during Formula One’s first visit.

Much of Madring is bordered closely by barriers and there will be limited margin for error as drivers search for the limit on an unfamiliar surface. An accident in qualifying could therefore transform the grid, while Safety Car timing could have an enormous impact on strategy during Sunday’s race.

That makes markets involving Safety Cars, classified finishers, winning margins and outsider podium finishes particularly interesting.

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🏎️ The Technical Challenge

Madring presents an unusual set-up problem because there is unlikely to be one obvious way to make a car fast around the entire lap. The slower corners demand strong mechanical grip, traction and braking stability, while the faster sequences – particularly La Monumental – place much greater emphasis on aerodynamic balance and confidence under sustained lateral load.

Teams therefore face a downforce-versus-drag compromise. Carry too much wing and a car could become vulnerable through the faster acceleration zones; trim too much downforce and the driver risks losing significant time through Madring’s longer corners and direction changes.

The circuit should also provide an interesting test of the 2026 energy-deployment regulations. With electrical energy representing such a large proportion of total power, drivers cannot simply expect maximum deployment throughout every high-speed section of a lap. Deciding where to harvest and where to deploy will have a significant effect on both lap time and overtaking.

That becomes particularly important when racing. A driver who spends heavily from the battery attacking into one braking zone could find themselves vulnerable later in the lap, while following another car closely may provide opportunities to conserve energy before launching an attack. Madring could therefore produce some unusually tactical battles between cars with similar outright pace.

Tyre management is another major unknown. La Monumental should generate sustained lateral energy through the tyres, while repeated acceleration and braking elsewhere creates a different form of thermal stress. Teams that can keep both axle temperatures under control without compromising tyre warm-up for qualifying could have a significant advantage.

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🏎️ Which Cars Should Madring Suit?

McLaren immediately catch the eye. Their strongest performances have tended to come when a circuit rewards aerodynamic efficiency and confidence through linked medium and high-speed corners. Madring contains plenty of both, and the ability to maintain front-end response without punishing the rear tyres could be particularly valuable through its longer sequences.

Ferrari may be the weekend’s most intriguing proposition. Hamilton and Leclerc already possess some limited familiarity with the circuit from Ferrari’s filming day, something none of their principal rivals have onside. More importantly, the car has shown increasingly competitive performance through corner-heavy layouts. Leclerc’s particular strength around street circuits also makes him worth watching closely in qualifying.

Mercedes remain the standard everyone has to beat. Their 2026 car has proved unusually versatile, combining strong braking stability with traction and efficient electrical deployment. Those characteristics should work well around Madring, although the Silver Arrows may not enjoy the same relative advantage they held on Monza’s long straights.

Red Bull are more difficult to assess. Madring contains the kind of rapid direction changes and committed high-speed sections where Max Verstappen can make a difference, but the circuit will punish a nervous rear end. Confidence will be crucial when drivers begin pushing towards the barriers in qualifying.

Williams could provide the outsider angle. Their straight-line efficiency should be valuable during the faster parts of the lap and Sainz’s knowledge of Madring is an obvious advantage. The bigger question is whether Williams can maintain enough aerodynamic performance through the prolonged loaded corners to avoid surrendering everything they gain elsewhere.

The fascinating part is that Madring does not appear to fit neatly into one established circuit category. It contains elements of a street track, a high-speed circuit and a conventional permanent venue, meaning the fastest car in Madrid may simply be the one with the widest operating window.

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🏆 Drivers’ Championship

1. 🇮🇹 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 267 pts
2. 🇬🇧 George Russell (Mercedes) – 201 pts
3. 🇬🇧 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 191 pts
4. 🇬🇧 Lando Norris (McLaren) – 171 pts
5. 🇲🇨 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 155 pts
6. 🇳🇱 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 127 pts
7. 🇦🇺 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 116 pts
8. 🇫🇷 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – 71 pts
9. 🇳🇿 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – 51 pts
10. 🇫🇷 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 41 pts

Standings correct after the Italian Grand Prix.

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🏆 Constructors’ Championship

1. ⚪ Mercedes – 468 pts
2. 🔴 Ferrari – 346 pts
3. 🟠 McLaren – 287 pts
4. 🔵 Red Bull – 204 pts
5. ⚫ Racing Bulls – 75 pts
6. 🔷 Alpine – 62 pts
7. 🟡 Haas – 21 pts
8. 🟢 Audi – 16 pts
9. 🔵 Williams – 11 pts
10. 🟢 Aston Martin – 3 pts
11. ⚪ Cadillac – 0 pts

Standings correct after the Italian Grand Prix.

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Recent Form

Last five Grand Prix winners:

🇮🇹 Italy – 🇮🇹 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
🇳🇱 Netherlands – 🇬🇧 Lando Norris (McLaren)
🇭🇺 Hungary – 🇬🇧 Lando Norris (McLaren)
🇧🇪 Belgium – 🇮🇹 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
🇬🇧 Great Britain – 🇲🇨 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

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🔢 Qualifying Angle

Qualifying could prove exceptionally important on Formula One’s first visit to the Madring.

The circuit contains obvious passing opportunities, but much of the lap is narrow, and the dirty-air effect through its faster corners could make following difficult. Starting towards the front would also reduce a driver’s exposure to midfield incidents on a circuit where Safety Cars and red flags are expected to be a genuine threat.

Track evolution could be enormous. Formula One machinery will begin the weekend with little meaningful rubber on the racing line, meaning grip should increase substantially as the sessions progress. That creates the possibility of significant differences between early and late qualifying runs.

Interruption is going to be a huge. A yellow or red flag during the closing minutes of Q1, Q2 or Q3 could leave a fancied driver stranded without completing their final lap. Finding clear track and banking a representative time early may therefore be more valuable than usual.

Ferrari’s previous running gives Hamilton and Leclerc a small familiarity advantage, but the decisive factor will be how quickly every driver builds confidence around a circuit where the limit is likely to sit extremely close to the barriers.

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Pre-Practice Take

The Madring is one of the hardest races of the season to price confidently before Formula One cars have completed serious running around the circuit.

Mercedes deserve their position at the head of the market after another one-two at Monza, but Madrid asks a completely different technical question. McLaren’s cornering performance makes them particularly interesting, while Ferrari combine an increasingly competitive car with the only drivers among the leading teams to have already experienced the Madring.

Qualifying is going to be crucial, but this may not be a weekend where starting first guarantees control on Sunday. Safety Cars, red flags, energy management and an unfamiliar tyre picture create several ways for the race to change suddenly.

That uncertainty should encourage us to look beyond simply identifying the outright fastest car. Podium, Safety Car, finishing-position and head-to-head markets could provide some of the best betting opportunities of the weekend.

With so many unknowns, we can expect the betting picture to change a huge amount through the practice sessions, which will be the most important of the year anywhere. The circuit is an all round test – with 9 low-speed corners, five medium-speed corners and nine high-speed corners, many of which will be taken flat or at close to full throttle.
Drivers are expected to spend roughly 70% of the lap at full throttle, making Madring very power- and energy-sensitive despite its 22 corners, although the nature of the heavy braking zones and complexes should mean that we avoid the superclipping frustrations of some circuits, namely China, Spa and Monza.

Star Sports have prices on what should be the most fascinating FP1 of the year, and a case can be made for any of the top drivers. Kimi Antonelli’s raw pace makes 3/1 seem tempting about his chances and George Russell drove very well last week at Monza despite finishing second to Antonelli. Lando Norris is driving as well as he’s ever done and should be competitive at the least here but on paper this circuit might be the sweet spot for Ferrari, who have gone well in free practice sessions during the year.

Charles Leclerc has topped two of the last three FP1’s whilst Hamilton has not been far behind at all in any of them, and Hamilton, who topped the timesheets in FP1 at Silverstone, was just ahead of Leclerc at Spa when the pair were beaten by Max Verstappen on a power-hungry circuit.

13/8 about Ferrari is most interesting on a very mixed circuit where chassis performance will be vital, especially given that their drivers have the advantage of early track time, and the 13/8 with starsports.bet that they top the opening session is intriguing enough to take. Leclerc’s had some bad crashes this season, but he’s bounced back quickly to make a fast start to the next weekend on most of those occasions and 4/1 is worth chancing for him to be at the head of the leaderboard after FP1.

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