Report
2026 Madrid GP: how the Madring debut unfolded
Formula 1 returned to Madrid 45 years on, to a circuit no one had raced.
Data verified on 13 September 2026
The Grand Prix, in numbers
- Dates
- 11–13 September
- Circuit
- MADRING — Circuito de IFEMA Madrid
- Laps
- 57 in the race
- Winner
- Kimi Antonelli — Mercedes
- Pole
- Lando Norris — McLaren
How the 2026 race unfolded, session by session
- Fórmula 1WinnerKimi Antonelli — MercedesSun 13 Sept
- Fórmula 2Feature RaceDino Beganovic — DAMSSun 13 Sept
- Fórmula 3ChampionUgo Ugochukwu — Campos RacingSun 13 Sept
- Fórmula 3Feature RaceTuukka Taponen — MP MotorsportSun 13 Sept
- Fórmula 3Feature RacePedro Clerot — Rodin MotorsportSat 12 Sept
- Fórmula 3IncidentMulti-car crash on lap one of Feature Race 1: red flagSat 12 Sept
- Fórmula 1PoleLando Norris — McLarenSat 12 Sept
- Fórmula 2SprintRitomo Miyata — HitechSat 12 Sept
- Fórmula 1FP3Kimi Antonelli — Mercedes · 1:32.797Sat 12 Sept
- Fórmula 1IncidentSecond red flag in FP3: Bearman crashes at turn 10Sat 12 Sept
- Fórmula 1IncidentRed flag in FP3: Hamilton crashes head-on at the final cornerSat 12 Sept
- Fórmula 3SprintThéophile Naël — Campos RacingSat 12 Sept
- Fórmula 3PoleTuukka Taponen — MP MotorsportFri 11 Sept
- Fórmula 3PoleTaito Kato — ART Grand Prix · 1:50.535Fri 11 Sept
- Fórmula 1FP2Kimi Antonelli — Mercedes · 1:33.662Fri 11 Sept
- Fórmula 1IncidentRed flag in FP2: Lindblad crashes at turn 13Fri 11 Sept
- Fórmula 2PoleDino Beganovic — DAMS · 1:44.331Fri 11 Sept
- Fórmula 1FP1George Russell — Mercedes · 1:34.077Fri 11 Sept
- Fórmula 2IncidentRed flag in practice: Inthraphuvasak's car catches fire against the barrierFri 11 Sept
Formula 1
| Session | Result |
|---|---|
| FP1 · Friday | George Russell — Mercedes · 1:34.077 |
| FP2 · Friday | Kimi Antonelli — Mercedes · 1:33.662 |
| FP3 · Saturday | Kimi Antonelli — Mercedes · 1:32.797 |
| Qualifying · Saturday | Lando Norris — McLaren · 1:31.824 |
| Race | Kimi Antonelli — Mercedes |
- FP1 · Friday. The first Formula 1 session in the Madring's history. Mercedes went one-two: Antonelli finished 0.286s behind Russell, with Leclerc third at 0.459s.
- FP2 · Friday. Both Ferraris slotted into the top three, 0.113s and 0.149s back. Lando Norris managed only two laps without setting a time. The two Spaniards finished well down: Sainz 16th and Alonso 17th.
- FP3 · Saturday. Antonelli set the pace again, with Leclerc 0.166s back and the McLaren pair of Piastri and Norris rounding out the top four. The session stopped twice under red flag: first for Lewis Hamilton's crash at the final corner, then for Ollie Bearman's at turn 10 with a minute left.
- Qualifying · Saturday. Norris set the first pole in Madring history, just 0.011s clear of Kimi Antonelli.
- Qualifying · Saturday. Max Verstappen was third, 0.140s back. Lewis Hamilton, fourth, extends his pole drought: his last was Hungary 2023.
The podium
- Kimi Antonelli — Mercedes
- Max Verstappen — Red Bull
- Lando Norris — McLaren
- The winner started
- 2.º en parrilla
- Fastest lap
- George Russell — Mercedes · 1:35.587
- Safety cars
- 0
What shaped the race
- Antonelli never had to pass on track: he pitted under the Virtual Safety Car caused by Stroll's retirement and came out ahead of Norris, who had led from pole.
- Norris held off Antonelli's attack in the opening laps — the Italian cut two corners trying to get by — and finished third, behind Verstappen as well.
- Four retirements, two of them with brake trouble: Hamilton pulled out on lap 7 and Stroll stopped at turn 20, which is what triggered the Virtual Safety Car. Perez stopped with a cooling system problem.
- Carlos Sainz failed to finish his home race, and was also given a five-second penalty for squeezing Alonso into the wall at turn 5.
- The Madring's debut ran without a single full Safety Car and without red flags.
FP2 · Friday
Confirmed by the official source
Arvid Lindblad lost the rear coming into turn 13 and crashed into the barriers. The official session report puts it this way: «Coming into Turn 13, he lost the rear and crashed into the barriers», and the session was halted to recover his Racing Bulls, ending his day. He still set the fourth-fastest time, 0.228s off, on just 15 laps. No statement has been published on the driver's condition.
FP3 · Saturday
Confirmed by the official source
Lewis Hamilton hit the barrier head-on at the final corner, with front-wing damage and a front-right puncture that ended his running; he returned to the pits without completing the session. The official report puts it this way: «The seven-time World Champion went head-on into the barrier at the final corner». The red flag stopped the session for 30 minutes of barrier repairs. No statement has been published on the driver's condition.
FP3 · Saturday
Confirmed by the official source
Oliver Bearman crashed at high speed through turn 10 in the final minute of the session, triggering a second red flag and leaving Haas racing against time to be ready for qualifying. No statement has been published on the driver's condition.
Formula 2
Madrid was one of the closing rounds of the 2026 Formula 2 season.
| Session | Result |
|---|---|
| Qualifying · pole | Dino Beganovic — DAMS · 1:44.331 |
| Sprint Race | Ritomo Miyata — Hitech |
| Feature Race | Dino Beganovic — DAMS |
| 2026 champion | After the session |
Formula 2 practice · Friday
Confirmed by the official source
The session was red-flagged. Nikola Tsolov set the fastest time, 1:47.059.
Reported by press at the circuit
Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak (ART Grand Prix) lost the rear of his car at the exit of turn 19 and struck the barrier with the left-rear. The car caught fire and the driver climbed out of it unaided. The FIA has published no document on the incident.
Formula 3
Madrid closed the 2026 Formula 3 season, with an expanded format of two qualifying sessions and two Feature Races: the title was going to be settled here one way or another.
| Session | Result |
|---|---|
| Qualifying · pole 1 | Taito Kato — ART Grand Prix · 1:50.535 |
| Qualifying · pole 2 | Tuukka Taponen — MP Motorsport |
| Sprint Race | Théophile Naël — Campos Racing |
| Feature Race 1 | Pedro Clerot — Rodin Motorsport |
| Feature Race 2 | Tuukka Taponen — MP Motorsport |
| 2026 champion | Ugo Ugochukwu — Campos Racing — title settled in Madrid |
Feature Race 1 · Saturday
Confirmed by the official source
The race was red-flagged on the opening lap: contact between Bruno del Pino and Enzo Deligny at turn 6 triggered a chain-reaction crash that eliminated six cars (Del Pino, Deligny, Gładysz, Garfias, Shin and Barrichello). It restarted with a rolling start; Pedro Clerot took his maiden F3 win, ahead of Kato and Taponen.
Reported by press at the circuit
Maciej Gładysz's car was launched airborne and nearly landed on championship leader Freddie Slater's, according to press at the circuit. No statement has been published on the drivers' condition.
The build-up: a circuit with not a single reference lap
The Madring reached the Grand Prix weekend without a single Formula 1 car having raced it competitively. The only running on the full layout was Ferrari's July filming day — 200 kilometres on demonstration tyres — and Formula 3's mid-season test in late August. Everything else was simulator work.
That F3 test left the warning that echoed all week: 19 red flags across two days, according to the press covering it, most from barrier contact. None at La Monumental, the turn 12 banking; the repeat offenders were the turn 10-11 chicane and the braking zone into turn 5.
Carlos Sainz, who has had the circuit plans for months and has his own grandstand here, warned of safety cars and red flags and admitted the design flirts with the line between a track with character and one that is too aggressive. Fernando Alonso took the other view: nobody knows how it races, and that levels the field.
The common read in the paddock before the start: on a narrow, new circuit with no data, the weekend goes not to the fastest but to whoever makes the fewest mistakes.
Frequently asked questions
- Who won the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid?
- Kimi Antonelli, for Mercedes. He started second and took the lead by pitting under the virtual safety car triggered by Stroll's retirement, emerging ahead of Lando Norris, who had led from pole. Max Verstappen finished second and Norris third. The race ran without a single safety car or red flag.
- Where was the 2026 Spanish GP held?
- At the Madring, the 5.4-kilometre, 22-corner circuit around IFEMA Madrid and Valdebebas. It was its debut in the Formula 1 World Championship: the first F1 race in the capital since 1981.
- Were the F2 and F3 titles decided in Madrid?
- The Formula 3 one was: Ugo Ugochukwu (Campos Racing) was crowned champion in Madrid, which was the final round of that championship. The Formula 2 title was not; Madrid was one of its closing rounds, but the title was not settled there.
Keep reading
- The Monumental CornerThe 24% banking, the circuit's five overtaking points and which tyres the race ran on.
- 2027 dates and scheduleThe Grand Prix returns on 10–12 September 2027: what has been published and what hasn't.
- Tickets for 2027Sales for the next Grand Prix are open: categories, official channels and how to buy.
- Before MADRING: JaramaThe nine Spanish Grands Prix held in Madrid between 1968 and 1981.
- Madrid Grand Prix guideEverything else about the event: circuit, tickets, getting there and what to do in the city.
Newsletter
2027 Madrid GP alerts
One email during race week: what to bring, when the gates open and how to get there without surprises. And if anything changes over the weekend, we tell you.
We use your address only for these alerts and you can unsubscribe at any time. More detail in the privacy policy.