Details of the new circuit in Madrid which Formula 1 will race at from 2026 have been rumoured for months.
While it was long expected F1 would reveal a street circuit as the new home of the Spanish Grand Prix, the first official information released about the track today has indicated something slightly different. F1 refers to the new Ifema Madrid Circuit as a “hybrid” course.The 20-turn track measures a little under five-and-a-half kilometres. Of that, around 1.5km – just over a quarter – is public roads. The rest is purpose-built.
There’s nothing new about creating a track by combining streets with purpose-built sections, of course. Existing F1 venues such as Singapore and Las Vegas already do that, as did past circuits like Adelaide in Australia.
What’s different about Madrid is the ratio between the two. Those circuits all feature short permanent sections where the pits and paddock are situated, while closed public roads form the majority of the track. Madrid’s new circuit will be largely the opposite.
The existing roads of the Recinto Ferial site, home to the Ifema exhibition centre, will form the basis of the start/finish area. But much of the rest of the track will use road which hasn’t been laid yet. The purpose-built section of track will be constructed in the Valdebebas site to the north.
F1 enlisted Dromo to develop the track design. The Italian architects previously masterminded revisions to other circuits, including Zandvoort’s overhaul for its return to the F1 calendar.
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From the start/finish area, drivers will negotiate a left-right chicane. With the track measuring between 12 and 15 metres wide in places, its designers expect it will offer up to four likely overtaking spots, and this will be the first of them.
As drivers accelerate away from this corner they will pass beneath the M11 motorway and climb rapidly, entering the purpose-built section of track. Turn 10, which will be named Valdebebas, is likely to prove the track’s signature corner.
Drivers will have a blind approach to the fast right-hander which turns through well over 180 degrees. It is expected to be banked, though exactly how steep remains to be decided.
Dromo CEO Jarno Zaffelli expects this will be a popular feature with drivers. “We have been able to follow an approach to the track based on the comments of the drivers, who demand fast and safe layouts, and the presence of more banking, so appreciated after its reintroduction in Formula 1 in Zandvoort,” he said.
Now heading back towards the exhibition centre, drivers face a rapid sequence of corners and a second tunnel beneath the motorway. As they return to Ifema they will rejoin public roads. The final two corners are typical of street circuits – a pair of 90-degree bends.
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Other features will distinguish it from existing tracks. In a first for the world championship, the paddock area will be fully covered. F1 is also keen to promote the environmental benefits of situating its new race in a convenient location for spectators.
What kind of race will they see? Ifema Madrid looks sufficiently different from other street circuits to offer something distinctive, but a lot will come down to decisions not yet taken – the surface of the track, the steepness of that banking and those all-important 2026 regulations F1 is working on.
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PeterG
23rd January 2024, 17:10
So banked corners are going to be the ‘very long straights’ of new modern circuits in that every new track will have to feature one to the point where it’s a feature that no longer feels that special.
I think back to when Shanghai joined F1 in 2004 and how the long straight was a talking point as no other F1 circuit featured one that long. But then every new track started to feature long straights to the point where none of them stood out anymore.
Similar happened with every new track having to have lots off off-camber corners, a maggots/beckets/chapel type sequence, and also some sort of slow/fiddly arena type section and also night races.
The novelty of new tracks adopting the same currently popular design fads quickly wears off and thats when you get the ‘Tilkedrones’ type complains when every new track starts to feel a bit samey and design traits that on one track was interesting and special become the norm and uninteresting.
Mr A
23rd January 2024, 18:24
This circuit is different to the one posted on the original article (track path in red). Which is correct?
The difference being I liked the other one, and I don’t like this one.
Christopher Rehn (@chrischrill)
23rd January 2024, 18:33
Where do they differ? The only difference I can identify is the angle at which the graphics are rendered. These, in this article, is straight above. The original article is titled somewhat, but follows the same circuit to me except turns 17/18 which is a simple 90 degree turn.
Mr A
23rd January 2024, 23:45
Yes it was 17/18 which I was looking at – this new one ruins the Adelaide-like flow of the other one.
Duncan Idaho (@didaho)
24th January 2024, 2:58
Reminds me precisely of the worst section of Adelaide.
Mr A
24th January 2024, 23:10
There is nothing on the current or previous layout of Adelaide that even remotely resembles 17/18.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adelaide_Street_Circuit
Asd
23rd January 2024, 18:31
Everything will be better than Catalunya.
But at 5,4km this track looks pretty good and easily much better than Catalunya.
BasCB (@bascb)
23rd January 2024, 18:57
So, something between the looks of Vegas and the purpose built “street circuit” of Sochi? I think this track will end up being as inspiring as either of those are.
Greg
23rd January 2024, 22:15
Well… Vegas was better than expected
Ferdinand
24th January 2024, 7:37
Saw an Instagram post of F1 displaying this street circuit. Thad 7.950 comments of which approx 1% was positive about adding a street circuit to the calendar. Won’t stop Liberty (as pleasing the sport fans is not their objective, but bringing in revenue from tourists looking for entertainment is), but just saying..
Brell-9W
23rd January 2024, 21:19
I’m sorry, but this circuit layout doesn’t inspire. Turn 10 might be interesting but turns 7, 8 and 9 come just before it, so the drivers won’t be approaching at speed.
Mr A
24th January 2024, 23:12
But there’s a straight before it, and it’s banked.
A M (@amam)
23rd January 2024, 21:41
To Keith
Are you not doing your usual end of season car/team performance articles?
Coventry Climax
23rd January 2024, 22:10
What good are banked corners if the races are run on tyres that even the governing organisation fears can’t handle the forces of going through them at maximum, DRS deployed speed?
That’s like owning a Ferrari, McLaren or Corvette while living on a half square mile island with no roads: Nice to look at and dream.
MacLeod (@macleod)
24th January 2024, 8:06
That is now history as with Zandvoort it was not problem to use DRS in the banked corners.
But i wonder about those roundabouts (3x) can the cars overtake their 1 going left the other right?
earthling (@34rthl1ng)
23rd January 2024, 23:53
F1fanatics sound like a quite conservative bunch, and I do not mean politics. Everything new in F1 is always booed and bashed. I would give the Madrid circuit the benefit of doubt until we watch a race or a few there. Although I dislike the preexisting section with all those 90º turns, the long banked 10 turn looks awesome. I love the new Zandvoort circuit and the Dromo signature is fine with me
MacLeod (@macleod)
24th January 2024, 8:09
As a olg person myself i like new things (Zandvoort) so we have to wait for more information before we can say any thing good/bad about this circuit. The banked corner i like still the rondabout before the first tunnel worries me more. And the 90º turns i don’t like either but that is in the street part i hope the room is huge too make the corners more round.
Ciaran (@ciaran)
24th January 2024, 11:24
It’s always been that way here unfortunately @34rthl1ng. My memory goes as far back to people bashing new tracks at Bahrain, COTA, new Hockenheimring, Turkey, etc, and they said the exact same things. Reddit is even worse at the moment. Literally the worst thing ever to exist, sport is dead, etc etc. You’ll get used to it in time!
AJ
24th January 2024, 18:35
“getting used to it”. thats the problem. instead of it being “wow this is amazing” at the beginning, its more like just get used to it. Everyone gets used to bad stuff. look at economy air travel. just get used to it!
Moshambles (@moshambles)
24th January 2024, 8:09
4 chicanes
Moshambles (@moshambles)
24th January 2024, 8:42
The more I look at it, the more I dislike it. Squirting the throttle between chicanes and right angles doesn’t seem that inspiring. Looking at google maps, it doesn’t look like it will give off, proper city street circuit vibes and will have more of a Sochi/Miami feel. However, you can never tell before racing starts and some circuits that don’t make sense on paper, often provide good racing and a challenging spectacle, but for now, it’s a thumbs down from me.
Shimks (@shimks)
24th January 2024, 11:27
Madrid is a fantastic city to visit. Lots to do. So, if you’re going to combine your passion for racing with your passion for food, the arts, walking around a large beautiful city centre, and partying, you can’t go wrong with a weekend, long weekend or even week in Madrid.
To call Madrid a street track evokes images of the cars flying past key sights, as happened in the very successful Vegas GP. Well, as someone who has lived in Madrid, I can tell you that this track is nowhere near any interesting sites. It is nowhere near the centre. It’s basically between the city centre and the airport, plonked in the middle of a business estate with a good motorway connecting you to the airport and the city centre.
I hope it’s a great track. Vegas was a massive success, in my opinion, so hopefully they’ll get it right with this one too. It’s always exciting to see if a new track works or doesn’t. But this new track could be anywhere. There’s nothing to make it look and feel like you’re in Madrid. So, to call it a Madrid street track, in my opinion, is a little misleading.
AJ
24th January 2024, 18:33
Great circuit Jarama literally 5 miles away. Now they will destroy a nice park to make a clinical cookie cutter track.
earthling (@34rthl1ng)
25th January 2024, 20:15
Jarama was never a much inspired or loved circuit and is hopelessly obsolete, it would need a huge rehauling to get again to present F1 regulations