Official timetable
Schedule for the 2026 Spanish GP
The race starts on Sunday 13 September at 15:00. Below is the full weekend, with the official confirmed times for the MADRING.
Data verified on 11 September 2026
The weekend at a glance
- Circuit
- MADRING — Circuito de IFEMA Madrid
- Track
- 5.4 km · 22 corners
- Race
- 57 laps, Sunday 15:00
- Qualifying
- Saturday 16:00–17:00
- Gates
- 08:00 – 20:00
- Re-entry
- Not allowed
- Sprint format
- No
The 3-day programme
Each session carries its championship colour, exactly as on the circuit’s official timetable. Gates opening and closing are not sessions — they are the hours you can be inside.
Friday 11 September
Free practice- 08:00Gates open
- 09:55–10:40Fórmula 3Free practice
- 11:05–11:50Fórmula 2Free practice
- 13:30–14:30Fórmula 1Free Practice 1 (FP1)
- 15:00–15:30Fórmula 2Qualifying
- 17:00–18:00Fórmula 1Free Practice 2 (FP2)
- 18:25–18:45Fórmula 3Qualifying 1
- 18:55–19:15Fórmula 3Qualifying 2
- 20:00Venue closes
Saturday 12 September
FP3 and qualifying- 08:00Gates open
- 11:05–11:50Fórmula 3Sprint Race
- 12:30–13:30Fórmula 1Free Practice 3 (FP3)
- 14:15–15:05Fórmula 2Sprint Race
- 16:00–17:00Fórmula 1Qualifying
- 18:00–18:50Fórmula 3Feature Race 1
- 20:00Venue closes
Sunday 13 September
Race dayRace day- 08:00Gates open
- 09:45–10:35Fórmula 3Feature Race 2
- 11:25–12:30Fórmula 2Feature Race
- 13:00–13:30Fórmula 1Drivers' Parade
- 15:00–17:00Fórmula 1RACE — 57 laps
- 20:00Venue closes
All times are Madrid local time (CEST). The Formula 1 and Formula 2 sessions come from MADRING’s official timetable; the two Formula 3 qualifying sessions and the two Feature Races come from the FIA’s official schedule. If anything moves, this page is updated.
Format
Madrid is not a Sprint weekend. Saturday hosts FP3 and qualifying. The six 2026 Sprints are China, Miami, Canada, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Singapore.
Expanded F3 format
Why F3 runs two feature races. Madrid closes the 2026 Formula 3 season, and the FIA built a one-off expanded format for that final round: two qualifying sessions on Friday instead of one, the Sprint Race and a first Feature Race on Saturday, and a second Feature Race on Sunday morning. It was added to redistribute the points lost when the Bahrain round dropped off the calendar. F3 has already run here, at the circuit’s official mid-season test on 24 and 25 August 2026. The times for these sessions come from the FIA’s official schedule; MADRING’s own timetable still merges the two qualifying sessions into one block and does not list the Saturday race, and will catch up.
When to arrive
The venue opens at 08:00 and closes at 20:00. The race starts at 15:00 on Sunday, but turning up at 14:00 is a bad idea: the venue does not admit private vehicles, so everybody comes in through the same public transport entrances, at the same time.
The Feria de Madrid metro station (Línea 8) gives direct access to IFEMA's South Gate and is 4 stops from Nuevos Ministerios. On the Cercanías commuter rail, line C-1 stops at Valdebebas.
Watch out for the re-entry rule:
once your ticket has been scanned you cannot leave and come back in. If you go out for lunch, you lose the rest of the day.
Frequently asked questions
- What time does the 2026 Spanish GP race start in Madrid?
- The race takes place on Sunday 13 September 2026 at 15:00 local time (CEST), over 57 laps of the 5.4 km MADRING layout.
- What time do the circuit gates open?
- The venue opens at 08:00 and closes at 20:00 on all three days. Re-entry is not allowed once your ticket has been scanned.
- When is qualifying for the Madrid GP?
- Qualifying runs on Saturday 12 September from 16:00 to 17:00. Before that, third practice starts at 12:30.
- Is there a Sprint race at the 2026 Madrid Grand Prix?
- No. Madrid is not one of the six Sprint venues in 2026; the Sprints are held at China, Miami, Canada, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Singapore. Saturday 12 September has FP3 and qualifying.
Timetable sorted — next up
- Tickets and pricesThree-day passes only: from €464 for the Pelouse to around €1,541 for the priciest grandstands.
- Which grandstand to pickWhat you can see from each MADRING grandstand before you spend your money.
- What you can bring inNo outside food, no re-entry and no confirmed bag storage: check before you leave home.
- The full three daysWhat to do between sessions without burning out your weekend.
- Internet and mobile dataTravelling from outside the EU? How to land connected. From inside it? Why you need nothing.
- Places to stay near IFEMAMadrid hotel prices spike over GP weekend. Compare before you book.
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