SUMMARY
- Madrid GP will be a 3.3 mile street circuit with 20 corners.
- Madrid will replace Barcelona as the Spanish Grand Prix from the 2026 season.
It has recently been announced that the Madrid GP will replace the Circuit de Barcelona as the Spanish Grand Prix. This came as a surprise to many as the Barcelona served as one of the most classic F1 tracks over the years.
Madrid is the capital of Spain. Hence, it makes more sense for Formula 1 to name the circuit in Madrid as the Spanish Grand Prix. The owners of F1, Liberty Media faced a lot of backlash after this announcement. To understand why there was so much backlash, let’s first understand more about the upcoming Madrid GP.
All you need to know about the new Madrid Grand Prix
The Madrid GP will be a street circuit around the IFEMA Convention Center. Although it is a street circuit, there will be a part of the track that runs on a track circuit as well. The track will be 3.3 miles long with a total of 20 turns.
Judging by the layout of the track it looks as though the track can have only 1, or maybe 2 DRS zones. the layout does not look very convenient for overtaking. The F1 cars are expected to travel around the circuit in around 1 minute and 32 seconds.
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The track is set to be one of the most accessible F1 races on the calendar. Hence, they are expecting a huge attendance from the locals.
Despite these aspects, the public is not happy with this announcement. The main reason for this is the increase in Street Circuits on the calendar. The Madrid GP will be the 7th street circuit on the calendar. Although Street Circuits look more exciting, the layouts reduce the quality of racing. Even the tracks are more bumpy when compared to the track circuits.
The appointment of the Madrid GP as the new Spanish Grand Prix also puts the fan-favorite, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya at risk. This did not sit well with the fans. Hence, Liberty Media has faced a lot of hate for this decision.
When will Madrid GP return to F1?
This will not be the first time Madrid will host an F1 race. From the 1960s to the early 1980s, the Circuit of Jarama hosted the Spanish Grand Prix. The circuit is located just a few miles outside the city of Madrid. Hence, it is considered to be in the Madrid region.
The organizers have signed a contract with F1 to host the Spanish Grand Prix from the 2026 season. The contract is 10 years long, which means that Madrid will host F1 races until the end of 2035.
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Although Madrid is taking over as the Spanish Grand Prix, it may not be the end for Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. There is still a chance for the fan-favorite track to extend their contract with F1. However, they will not be able to take part in the Spanish Grand Prix. So we might see the track continue in F1 as the Barcelona Grand Prix or some other related name.
Let’s see if the Madrid GP proves to be a good track for the drivers and viewers. Either way, the fans would love to see Barcelona stay on the F1 calendar after the 2025 season.