F1 announced this week (23 January) that Madrid will host the Spanish GP from 2026, but why is the move happening and has the series visited Spain’s capital before?
These are all questions that have been raised since the news, plus many more like what is the circuit like, and does it mean the future of Barcelona - the current Spanish GP venue - is in doubt?
The move is part of a long-term contract for Madrid which expires in 2035 and the plan is to race on a hybrid 3.4-mile circuit featuring street and non-street sections, subject to FIA approval.
It has sparked controversy from the F1 community because Madrid adds to the list of non-permanent tracks that have joined the calendar in recent years like Jeddah, Miami and Las Vegas.
This means in 2026 there will likely be at least nine non-permanent circuits in an F1 season, which would be almost a third of races if the calendar stays at 24 rounds.
That is a large increase from 10 years ago when there were just four temporary circuits - Australia, Monaco, Canada and Singapore - on the 2014 calendar, suggesting that urban tracks are something Liberty Media, the owners of F1, are pushing further towards.
The 2026 Spanish GP will be held in the area of Campo de las Naciones, which is within Madrid’s municipality but around 18.6 miles north-east of the city centre.
Source: Autosport