Formula One chiefs confirm that Madrid WILL host a Grand Prix after agreeing 10-year deal worth £400MILLION, as doubt is cast over Barcelona’s place in the increasingly congested calendar
- F1 bosses have confirmed that the Spanish capital will host a Grand Prix from 2026
- CEO Stefano Domenicali announced this on Tuesday
- The news casts doubt on Barcelona’s place on the busy F1 calendar
Madrid will host a Formula 1 Grand Prix from 2026 in a 10-year deal believed to be worth around £400m.
The announcement was confirmed by F1 bosses this morning, after a few years of talks with authorities in the Spanish capital. It puts a question mark over Barcelona’s continuation on the calendar.
The hosting costs of around £40 million, paid to Formula One Management (FOM), the sport’s owners, make it one of the two most lucrative contracts ever signed for a European race, alongside Hungary. However, Middle Eastern races can command fees of more than £60 million.
Organizers in Madrid have designed a brand new 20-turn circuit that will ‘include both street and non-street sections’.
“Following an agreement with IFEMA MADRID… the new 5.4-mile circuit will have an expected qualifying lap of 1 minute and 32 seconds,” revealed FOM, whose CEO Stefano Domenicali, who brokered the partnership.
Madrid will host a Formula 1 Grand Prix from 2026 after agreeing a 10-year deal believed to be worth around £400 million
CEO Stefano Domenicali confirmed that ‘the venue is expected to have capacity to host more than 110,000 fans per day’
‘Built around the world-class IFEMA exhibition center, the circuit will also feature a premier paddock building with a racing tower and office, VIP hospitality and entertainment areas. The venue is expected to have the capacity to host more than 110,000 fans per day, across the grandstand, general admission and VIP hospitality.
‘There are plans to expand the track’s capacity to 140,000 per day in the first half of the agreement, making Madrid one of the largest venues on the F1 calendar.’
The event will take place eight kilometers from Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suarez Airport.
FOM says they are still in discussions with the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, and that there remains a possibility that Spain will host two races.
The news casts doubt on the place of the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona on the calendar
But the facilities at Barcelona, which has hosted the Spanish Grand Prix since 1991, have grown tired and could well become redundant in an increasingly global squad.
Domenicali, who flew to Spain this morning for the announcement, said: “Madrid is an incredible city with a great sporting and cultural heritage, and today’s announcement begins an exciting new chapter for F1 in Spain.”
