11–13 Sep · Madring · Round 14
Results2026 Spanish Grand Prix predictions
The Spanish Grand Prix is complete. Official results and scores are on the race page.
- Practice 1
- Fri 11 Sept, 13:30 CEST
- Practice 2
- Fri 11 Sept, 17:00 CEST
- Practice 3
- Sat 12 Sept, 12:30 CEST
- Qualifying
- Sat 12 Sept, 16:00 CEST
- Grand Prix
- Sun 13 Sept, 15:00 CEST
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).
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).
Sainz was more cautious when asked about the crashes at Monza. 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).
- Red flags
- 19
- Into the barriers
- 11
- August, two days
- 24–25
Fastest: Ugochukwu- 1:49.034
How players picked this weekend
Everyone’s picks, as they stood at each deadline. The order weights a driver by the positions they were picked in, so a driver everyone put second ranks above one everyone put fifth.
Qualifying
12 entries
| Pos | Driver | Picked by |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | Kimi Antonelli | 100% |
| P2 | Charles Leclerc | 100% |
| P3 | George Russell | 66.7% |
| P4 | Lando Norris | 75% |
| P5 | Max Verstappen | 33.3% |
| P6 | Lewis Hamilton | 66.7% |
| P7 | Oscar Piastri | 50% |
| P8 | Pierre Gasly | 8.3% |
Race
14 entries
| Pos | Driver | Picked by |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | Kimi Antonelli | 100% |
| P2 | Lando Norris | 78.6% |
| P3 | Max Verstappen | 71.4% |
| P4 | Lewis Hamilton | 78.6% |
| P5 | George Russell | 64.3% |
| P6 | Charles Leclerc | 64.3% |
| P7 | Oscar Piastri | 21.4% |
| P8 | Pierre Gasly | 7.1% |
What the lap looks like
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 will need enough ground clearance to keep the floor from scraping through the banking. Raising the ride height can help, but may reduce aerodynamic performance elsewhere on the lap. If the plank underneath the car wears beyond the permitted limit, the car can be disqualified.
Practice will show how well each team manages that compromise, particularly on longer runs with more fuel on board.
What to watch in practice
- km circuit
- 5.416
- corners
- 22
- race laps
- 57
- banking at Turn 12 (13.5°)
- 24%
Learning the circuit
Teams need to check their simulations against real running. Ferrari has driven here on demonstration tyres, but Friday is the first chance for every team to test its race setup. Consistent laps will be more useful than an early headline time.
The final sector
Watch for lock-ups and wheelspin around the exhibition halls. The closely spaced corners leave little time to recover from a mistake. Drivers need confidence on the brakes and good traction on the exits.
Overtaking
Qualifying position looks especially important. Drivers found it difficult to follow and pass during their long runs in FP2. Russell said overtaking was very tough, while Leclerc found it difficult even with a large pace advantage.
Tyres for Madrid
C1
Not used at Madrid
C2
Hard
C3
Medium
C4
Soft
C5
Not used at Madrid
Pirelli expects Madrid to be one of the five most demanding circuits for the tyres. Cornering forces should be similar to Barcelona and Silverstone, while La Monumental is expected to produce the highest vertical load of the season. Pirelli’s Madrid preview (opens in a new tab).
The smooth asphalt offers relatively little grip. It has been cleaned with high-pressure water jets to remove dust and oily residues. Teams may save sets of the Hard tyre for Sunday if practice shows the softer compounds wearing out quickly.
Formula 1’s forecast, published on 9 September, expects a dry weekend with air temperatures reaching 30°C on Friday, 31°C on Saturday and 32°C on Sunday. It also flags the heat index for monitoring over the weekend. Formula 1’s weather forecast (opens in a new tab).
Villeneuve won the last Grand Prix held in Madrid
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 has not been back to Madrid in the 45 years since. 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 is sold out. They expect 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 expects a difficult weekend for Williams. He said on Wednesday that the team’s next upgrade is due at Baku and that scoring points in Madrid would be a challenge. Sainz on Williams’ prospects (opens in a new tab).
Spanish drivers
- Carlos SainzP16
- Fernando AlonsoP19
Common questions
When is the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid?
The Spanish Grand Prix runs from 11 to 13 September 2026 at the Madring in Madrid. Qualifying is on Saturday and the 57-lap Grand Prix is on Sunday.
Is the Madrid Grand Prix the same race as the Spanish Grand Prix?
Yes. Madrid Grand Prix is the common shorthand for the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring. It is separate from the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, which was held in June.
Has Formula 1 raced at the Madring before?
No. This is the circuit’s debut. Madrid last held a Grand Prix at Jarama in 1981.
Is the Madring ready for the Spanish Grand Prix?
The circuit was signed off by the FIA for Formula 1 on 23 June 2026, and Formula 3 completed a two-day test on it in August. Around 300 metres of cable was stolen from a tunnel section on Sunday 30 August and Spanish police are investigating, but the race schedule is unchanged.
What did the Formula 3 test show about the Madring?
Formula 3 ran at the Madring on 24 and 25 August and the test produced 19 red flags, 11 of them cars in the barriers. Ugo Ugochukwu set the fastest lap at 1:49.034. The test highlighted several difficult corners, though Formula 3 lap times cannot tell us how the Formula 1 teams will compare.
How likely is a safety car at the Madring?
There is no Formula 1 race history here to base a probability on. Barriers line much of the lap, and the Formula 3 test had frequent stoppages. Safety cars are a possibility, but that test does not tell us how often they will be needed in a Grand Prix.
Madrid results
See the official Top 5 and how your predictions scored.
The leaderboard shows the current standings. Predictions this weekend covers every session that is still open.
Next round
Round 15 is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Read the Baku predictions.