The new MadRing in Madrid is causing a stir even before the first race: 48,500 tickets sold and spectacular curves promise F1 action
Demand for tickets for the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix on the new MadRing street circuit in Madrid is enormous. Since advance sales began on September 15, 48,500 tickets have already been sold, according to Spanish sports newspaper Marca.
The street circuit will run around the IFEMA Madrid exhibition center in the northeast of the capital. The 5.47-kilometer track with 22 turns features the particularly striking Turn 12, known as “La Monumental,” a 550-meter-long steep turn with a 24 percent incline. Of the 48,500 tickets sold so far, 20,000 were sold within 12 hours. The two cheapest areas, Pelouse and Grandstands, sold out in a matter of minutes. This has never happened before at a Formula 1 Grand Prix.“
Carlos Sainz was presented as the MadRing ambassador in April 2025. The Williams driver emphasized that he had assured the other drivers that the track would have a lot of character. ”The drivers asked me about the track, the corners, and the layout. I told them not to worry. I will do my best to ensure that the track puts on a good show,“ explained Sainz. Sainz also highlighted the special features of the new course: ”What I demand from a Formula 1 track as a driver is that it has charisma and character and lots of corners that make it special. There are tracks like Baku, which don’t have any big corners except for the castle section, but have character because there are very long straights and a lot of overtaking potential. Or Jeddah, which consists of fast corners and is also spectacular. It’s a hybrid circuit with an urban section where the walls are close and a more open part that’s more like a traditional European circuit. The final steep corners and fast corner sequences in particular are what drivers prefer on European racetracks. The track offers both open and narrow sections bordered by walls.”
