Formula One to get new Spanish circuit come 2026

Fans of the street circuits of Monaco and our very own Marina Bay Circuit may soon have one more highlight to add to their list of races to catch in the Formula One calendar.

The sport has announced the addition of the Spanish Grand Prix, which will be held in Madrid from 2026 to 2035.

The race will be held on an all-new 5.47 km circuit to be built around the IFEMA exhibition centre, which is currently pending FIA homologation and final design approval, but is already set to feature 20 corners with a projected qualifying lap time of one minute and 32 seconds. This new circuit is also said to incorporate both street and non-street sections.

The site is also expected to have the capacity to host more than 110,000 fans a day, although plans are said to be in place to grow the circuit's capacity to a total of 140,000 per day over the first half of the agreement, a move that will make Madrid one of the largest venues on the Formula One calendar.

For some comparison, the Singapore Marina Bay Circuit spans a total of 4.94 km, and the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix is said to have hosted an average of 88,000 attendees per day.

The new Spanish circuit is said to be located just five minutes from the Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suarez airport, and Formula One estimates that 90 per cent of fans will be able to travel to the paddock via public transport, while those staying in local accommodations will be a short walk away from the venue.

Fans activations in downtown Madrid alongside activation activities with local businesses and schools are also all planned alongside the race.

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This article was first published in sgCarMart.