Breaking: New F1 Circuit Officially Announced

A new venue that will replace Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in the F1 calendar from the year 2026 has just been officially announced.

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has hosted the Spanish Grand Prix from 1991 until the present. However, things are about to change from season 2026.

On the fifth of December last year, the first speculations emerged suggesting Madrid was in talks with Formula 1 management over potentially hosting a Grand Prix race.

Spanish news outlet elmundo.es suggested the Madrid race would replace the Spanish Grand Prix that currently takes place in Barcelona.

Only a few minutes ago, Ifema.es officially announced that Madrid will, in fact, host the Spanish Grand Prix starting in the 2026 season.

The newly proposed circuit will be located around Ifema and Valdebebas. It will be 5,47 km (3,39 miles) long with 20 turns and average speeds of 218 km/h (135 mph).

The new contract will be valid for ten seasons until the year 2035. Ifema has already started running a promotional campaign in Madrid. See the pictures below.

Some drivers, including World Champions like Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso, expressed their concerns over F1 hosting more and more events on street circuits.

While it is very exciting watching F1 cars flying through the streets of famous cities, and it definitely provides an amazing show for the fans, drivers complained these circuits are not really suited for F1 cars.

Both Alonso and Verstappen said they prefer dedicated racing circuits like Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps or Monza over street circuits like the newly added Las Vegas Strip circuit, for example.

While no drivers expressed their thoughts about the new addition to the F1 calendar, it is safe to say the new Madrid circuit will most probably receive a mixed reception.