2026 Spanish Grand Prix preview: everything you need to know for the Madring debut

Here's the thing, amigos: Formula 1 is stepping into the absolute unknown for the 14th round of the season. We are heading to the brand new in Madrid, a track making its debut and bringing F1 back to the city for the first time in around 40 years since Jarama last hosted a grand prix. It is a wild layout with a Miami-like feel, blending public roads and private land across 22 corners. Drivers are going to face the longest banked turn on the F1 calendar and looming walls that demand relentless concentration, all under warm and sunny skies with temperatures expected to exceed 30 Celsius across all three days and minimal chance of rain.

arrives holding a healthy lead in the Drivers' Championship after winning last time out at Monza. The Italian sits 66 points clear of his team mate at Mercedes, while lurks a further 10 points adrift for Ferrari. But the form book might get completely shredded on this fresh asphalt where the pecking order is a total mystery. Spain is hosting its second grand prix of the year following Barcelona-Catalunya, where Hamilton took an emotional victory for Ferrari.

For those tuning in, the weekend action kicks off on Friday, 11 September, with FP1 at 1330 local time and FP2 at 1700. Saturday brings the final hour of practice at 1230 before Qualifying sets the grid at 1600, with the Grand Prix lights going out at 1500 on Sunday, 13 September. Fans can catch every session live on F1 TV Pro in selected countries, featuring onboard cameras on all 22 of the drivers' cars, pre and post-race shows, and commentary in six languages across multiple streaming devices. Alternatively, F1 TV Premium offers 4K Ultra HD/HDR viewing on up to six devices with a personalised Multiview feature spanning 26 different feeds, alongside live timing on F1.com and the F1 app.

It is not just F1 stealing the show either, because Formula 2 is back with leading the championship by 11 points from . Their weekend starts with Free Practice at 1105 local time on Friday, September 11, followed by Qualifying at 1500. The Sprint Race—featuring a reversed top 10 from Qualifying—runs at 1415 on Saturday, September 12, before the Feature Race gets underway at 1125 on Sunday, September 13.