2026 Spanish Grand Prix predictions

What decided the race

Norris led from pole while Antonelli twice went off track trying to pass him in the opening laps. Hamilton was out after seven laps, when Ferrari retired his car due to a brake problem.

Stroll then stopped at Turn 20, also with brake trouble, and the Virtual Safety Car let Mercedes and Red Bull pit Antonelli, Russell and Verstappen. The VSC ended before Norris could stop, and a slow tyre change held him for seven seconds, so he rejoined fifth. Leclerc stayed out until lap 48 hoping for a Safety Car, and Antonelli led from there to beat Verstappen by 4.351 seconds, with Norris a further 0.738 seconds back. Read the official result (opens in a new tab). His championship lead grew to 81 points. Read the F1 race report (opens in a new tab).

The classification above is final. The one penalty applied after the flag was five seconds for Gasly, for speeding in the pit lane, and he stayed 12th. Read the final classification (opens in a new tab).

What Formula 3 testing showed

Formula 3 tested at the Madring on 24 and 25 August. The two days produced 19 red flags, including 11 crashes into the barriers. PlanetF1’s test report (opens in a new tab). Ugo Ugochukwu set the fastest lap, a 1:49.034 on the second morning. Pit Debrief on the test times (opens in a new tab).

Most of the crashes happened around Turns 5 to 7 and at Turn 17. Drivers also hit the barriers at the exit of Turn 3 and at Turn 14. Where the test was interrupted (opens in a new tab).

Williams counted three broken chassis and six damaged suspensions in the test data. Team principal James Vowles said the circuit could be particularly hard on the cars. Vowles on the test damage (opens in a new tab).

Speaking at the Italian Grand Prix, Sainz was more cautious. He said it was too early to judge how Formula 1 cars would handle the circuit from the Formula 3 test alone. Sainz on the Formula 3 comparison (opens in a new tab).

Speaking in Madrid on Wednesday 9 September, Sainz said simulator laps and Formula 3 footage suggested an intense circuit, with “turn after turn, wall after wall”. He compared it with Baku and Jeddah, two tracks he enjoys racing on. Sainz on the Madrid lap (opens in a new tab).

After driving the circuit in the simulator, Verstappen compared it with Jeddah and warned that mistakes could lead to heavy crashes. He also said it was difficult to put a clean lap together. Verstappen’s first impressions (opens in a new tab).

What the lap looks like

The Madring has 22 corners, and the Grand Prix is 57 laps. Formula 1’s circuit guide (opens in a new tab). Sector 1 is the long run from Turn 1 to Turn 5. Sector 2 carries the banking at Turn 12. Sector 3 is the tight section through the exhibition halls.

La Monumental: Madrid’s banked Turn 12

La Monumental is a 550-metre right-hander with 24% banking, equivalent to an angle of about 13.5 degrees. The circuit’s chief operations officer compares it with Zandvoort’s banking, stretched over a longer corner. The Race’s guide to La Monumental (opens in a new tab).

James Vowles said the Formula 3 test showed cars staying under load through the banking for roughly four and a half seconds. That puts sustained stress on the car as well as the tyres. Vowles on the banking (opens in a new tab).

Teams need enough ground clearance to keep the floor from scraping through the banking. Raising the ride height helps there, but can cost aerodynamic performance elsewhere on the lap. If the plank underneath the car wears beyond the permitted limit, the car can be disqualified.

Tyres for Madrid

• C1

  Not used at Madrid

• C2

  Hard

• C3

  Medium

• C4

  Soft

• C5

  Not used at Madrid

Before the race, Pirelli rated Madrid one of the five most demanding circuits of the season for the tyres, with cornering forces similar to Barcelona and Silverstone and the highest vertical load of the year at La Monumental. Pirelli’s Madrid preview (opens in a new tab).

Pirelli described the new asphalt as smooth, with relatively little grip, after it was cleaned with high-pressure water jets to remove dust and oily residues.

The race start split the field three ways. The front row started on Mediums, Verstappen and Hamilton on Softs, and Leclerc, Russell, Piastri and Lawson on Hards. Formula 1’s race report (opens in a new tab).

Villeneuve won Madrid’s previous Grand Prix, in 1981

Spanish drivers

Championship

• SAICarlos SainzP17
• ALOFernando AlonsoP19

Gilles Villeneuve won at Jarama in June 1981 by holding off four faster cars. His Ferrari’s straight-line speed helped him defend the lead despite its poor handling through the corners. He finished 0.22 seconds ahead of Jacques Laffite, with the top five separated by just 1.24 seconds. Motor Sport’s account of the 1981 race (opens in a new tab).

Williams brings back its 1981 colours

Williams revealed a special white, green and navy livery on Tuesday 8 September. It is based on the FW07C driven by Alan Jones and Carlos Reutemann at Jarama in 1981, the year Williams won the constructors’ championship. Sainz unveiled the car at Madrid’s Plaza del Callao. See the Williams livery (opens in a new tab).

A home race for Sainz and Alonso

Formula 1 did not return to Madrid for 45 years. Barcelona held the Spanish Grand Prix from 1991 until last season and now runs as the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, so Spain has two rounds in 2026.

Organisers announced on 9 September that the debut had sold out, and expected a total attendance of nearly 350,000 across the three days, with more than 60% of the audience coming from Spain. Madring’s attendance announcement (opens in a new tab).

Madrid-born Carlos Sainz has been the circuit’s ambassador since April 2025 and joined the organisers for the start of construction. He and Fernando Alonso are the two Spanish drivers on the grid. Sainz’s role at the Madring (opens in a new tab).

Sainz expected a difficult weekend for Williams. He said on the Wednesday that the team’s next upgrade was due at Baku and that scoring points in Madrid would be a challenge. Sainz on Williams’ prospects (opens in a new tab). Neither home driver scored. The stewards gave Sainz a five-second penalty for squeezing Alonso into the wall at Turn 5. Formula 1’s race report (opens in a new tab). Sainz retired on lap 46 and Alonso finished 17th. The final classification (opens in a new tab).