NEED TO KNOW: The most important facts, stats and trivia ahead of the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix

Round 14 of the 2026 season gets underway this weekend at the brand-new Madring, which is set to host the Spanish Grand Prix as Formula 1 returns to the nation's capital for the first time in over 40 years.

Free Practice 1 and 2 will take place on Friday, September 11, followed by Free Practice 3 and Qualifying on Saturday, September 12, and the Grand Prix itself on Sunday, September 13.

Vital statistics

• First Grand Prix – 2026
• Track Length – 5.416km
• Lap record – N/A
• Most pole positions – N/A
• Most wins – N/A
• Trivia – This won't be the first time that Madrid has welcomed F1 as the Circuito del Jarama, north of the capital, held nine rounds of the World Championship between 1968 and 1981
• Pole run to Turn 1 braking point – 200 metres
• Overtakes completed in 2025 – N/A
• Safety Car probability – N/A
• Virtual Safety Car probability – N/A
• Pit stop time loss – N/A

Tyre and strategy insight

"The start-finish line and Turn 1 are separated by just 200 metres," reads Pirelli's weekend preview, with the compounds available this weekend being the C2 (as the hard), C3 (as the medium) and C4 (as the soft).

"The first sector is very fast and leads into a second section featuring several medium and low-speed corners, including the banked Turn 12. The final part of the lap also includes a number of 90-degree corners similar to those drivers encounter in Baku.

"Pirelli's work to identify the forces that tyres will be subjected to at the Madring began three years ago, when the designers provided the first information on the final layout. Using simulation tools, the trajectories that the cars would follow around the circuit were identified and, consequently, the loads to which the tyres would be exposed were calculated.

"Once the circuit had been completed, a group of Pirelli engineers visited the venue to measure the asphalt's macro and micro roughness, refine the simulations and produce a technical briefing document that was shared with the teams to support their preparation for this new event.

"From an energy perspective, the Madrid circuit ranks among the five most demanding on the calendar, with lateral forces comparable in intensity to those recorded at Barcelona and Silverstone. The "Monumental" is the corner that generates the highest vertical load of the season, not only because of its banking but also because of its length.

"Its configuration will also present a significant challenge in terms of tyre grip. Drivers may adopt different approaches when tackling it, depending on how much they wish to prioritise the opportunity to attack into the following corner.

"The asphalt is very smooth and therefore offers a relatively low level of grip. For this reason, it has been treated with high-pressure water jets, as is already done at other circuits, including Singapore, to remove dust and oily residues typically associated with newly laid surfaces."

Current form

Kimi Antonelli increased his lead in the drivers' standings with a superb recovery drive from P19 to win his home race at Monza, giving him a 66-point advantage over his Mercedes team mate George Russell, with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton a further 10 points adrift.

An incredible back-and-forth battle between the Silver Arrows pair unfolded during the Italian Grand Prix, but it was Antonelli who came out on top to match Russell's career tally of seven victories.

They still both face plenty of serious competition from outside the team, especially from Ferrari, with the squad suffering an agonising event on home soil that saw Hamilton and Charles Leclerc clash on the opening lap before the latter crashed out in a separate incident.

While Hamilton has called on Ferrari to "change things" when it comes to the intra-team battle, Fred Vasseur would only hint at a discussion around implementing team orders – a topic which similarly came up at McLaren.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were allowed to race freely over the closing stages and the reigning World Champion ultimately succeeded in securing P4, with the weekend marking a slight downturn in performance after he clinched victories in Hungary and the Netherlands.

Elsewhere, Max Verstappen enjoyed his fifth podium of the season with a low-key drive while Liam Lawson – continuing to step in for the injured Isack Hadjar – failed to fight back into points contention following a grid penalty.

His regular team faced another twist in the midfield contest as their closest rivals snatched an unexpected pole position with Pierre Gasly. He wasn't able to maintain the pace on race day and dropped back to P7, leading Arvid Lindblad, the second Alpine of Franco Colapinto, and Lawson's substitute Yuki Tsunoda.