Madrid to Feature on Formula One Calendar; Official Declaration Is Expected Next Week: Sources

Multiple sources state that Madrid will now be on the Formula One schedule.

The individuals with knowledge of the agreement said that the formal announcement, which would bring the series back to the Madrid area more than 40 years after it last held an F1 race, will take place in the Spanish capital next week.

The sources were not permitted to discuss the subject in public, so they talked on the condition of anonymity.

The exact date of the Madrid race’s calendar addition is still being finalized, although sources indicated that it would begin in 2026 and last for many years.

Barcelona has an agreement with Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to host Formula One races until 2026.

According to Spanish media, talks with Catalan authorities are taking place to see whether Madrid and Barcelona can come to an agreement so that Madrid may replace Barcelona on the schedule before the present contract expires. The less probable prospect of two races being in Spain in 2026 was also present.

It is anticipated that the Madrid race will be held on a street circuit that winds through the city’s fairgrounds. The project’s specifics were supposed to be revealed the following week.

The mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, recently said that “some good news” was anticipated for the City on Tuesday.

Isabel Díaz Ayuso, head of the Madrid area, said on Tuesday that the F1 project will “attract other great projects” to the region and contribute “so much to the Madrid brand.”

“We’ll exert every effort to ensure the project’s success,” she said.

The Jarama track hosted the last Formula One event in the Madrid area in 1981. Races were held at the southern Spanish circuit of Jerez de la Frontera from 1986 to 1990, as well as in 1994 and 1997. From 1991 till the present, F1 in Spain has called Barcelona home.

In addition, the nation held the European Grand Prix in Valencia from 2008 to 2012 on a street course.

Five years ago, the deal with Barcelona was extended until 2026 after the track promised to make modifications in time for the 2022 season.

Max Verstappen of Red Bull won the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in the previous year.