Here is everything to know about Madring, the new Formula 1 street circuit in Madrid that is to be the new home of the Spanish Grand Prix for years to come following the exit of the Circuit de Barcelona. The Spanish Grand Prix will take place from the 11-13th of September.
The circuit is 5.416km long and contains 22 turns. The Grand Prix will therefore consist of 57 laps around this new layout.
Although this specific track is making its debut in 2026, this is not the only time Madrid has hosted an F1 race. The Circuito del Jarama hosted the Spanish Grand Prix nine time between 1968 and 1981, although this track was more on the northern outskirts of Madrid. Madring is far more central to the city and easily accessible via public transport for locals.
This new track uses a combination of public roads and private land, so it is like a combination of a street-circuit and a permanent race track in the same way as the Miami International Autodrome. The 22 corners are varied with a combination of high, medium and low speed corners and the straights should see the cars reach 340kph. On top of this, the track will now be home to the longest banked turn on the Formula 1 calendar as turn 12 (or ‘La Monumental’) stretches 550 meters with a 24% banking
A peek at the banking of the track
Sector 1 will be very stop and go with tight chicanes leading onto a straight. The main straight spans 589 metres however the start of the race will be quite short. From pole position, it is a 200 metre sprint to the first apex. At turn 1 drivers will drop from 320 km/h down to 100 as there is a tight left to right chicane. This will may serve as a good overtaking zone during the Grand Prix. Out of turn 2 there is a fast open right-hander, which send the cars ono Ribera del Sena Street. There will then be a period of acceleration as the drivers go on a 1.3 full throttle run into turn 4.
Sector 2 starts with tight corners. Turns 5 to 9 will come at the drivers very quickly and takes them through short tunnels. They will have to battle with a 8% uphill gradient and at turn 7, they meet the tracks peak elevation and then drop back downhill. Turn 10 and 11 are a tight right to left chicane designed to slow drivers before the main talking point of this track: La Monumental. Turn 12 is the landmark of this tack and will keep the drivers on a long banked full speed corner for 6 seconds. The exit is blind and uphill.
Sector 3 starts with a flowing sequence of high-speed Esses. This will be technical for the drivers although they are designed to be taken flat out. The final heavy breaking zone of the lap comes at turn 17 at the end of the Esses. The cars will go from 280 km/h to 100 km/h. The lap finishes with a slow 90 degree right-hander, which leads the drivers back onto the main straight.
The track map for Madring
As it is a hybrid street circuit, track position is going to be critical. Consequently I think most teams will be aiming for a one stop strategy. We do not know how the tires are going to respond but given the punishing corners of the track, Mediums to Hards might be a popular choice. In this scenario, drivers will pit around lap 17-22 and carry the hards until the end.
The main issue with strategy here is going to be thermal degradation. Turn 12’s banked corner will put a lot of pressure on the left tires, and therefore overheat and degrade them quicker. There are also many lower speed corners that will overheat the rear tires on exit as the car fights for traction. This is going to make managing temperatures crucial.
Furthermore there is a high possibility of a safety car or Virtual Safety Car (VSC) on street circuits like this one. There are many tight corners where accidents could happen, and considering it is the drivers first time at this track mistakes are bound to happen. This means the teams might opt for flexibility by saving an extra pair of mediums for if there is an accident they can try to benefit from strategically.
Add comment
Comments