The organizers of the new Spanish Grand Prix venue in Madrid have unveiled the final circuit layout that will feature 22 turns, including a severely banked corner named “Monumental.”
Set to join the Formula 1 calendar next year, the circuit is based predominantly on public roads that run around the IFEMA exhibition center in the Spanish capital. Announcing Carlos Sainz as the official race ambassador, a press conference at the venue on Friday featured the reveal of the layout, with details including its flagship banked turn.
The 22-turn, 3.35-mile/5.4-kilometer track will open with a chicane before a high-speed right-hander that sweeps through two turns and will see cars reaching a predicted 211mph/340km/h before the low-speed Turn 5 and a section that climbs at 8%.
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The next section will be known as “The Bunker” and borders the Spanish Civil War forts of La Mata Espesa, dropping down at 5% in what the track designers believe will be one of the most complex parts of the circuit.
A more spread-out chicane is designed to limit speeds before the “Monumental” corner, that will be over 500m long and featuring banking of 24% as drivers will pass in front of a grandstand that is planned to hold around 45,000 spectators. The designers describe the corner as reminiscent of a bullring, and calculate it will take around six seconds to navigate before exiting at high speed for another overtaking opportunity at the 90-degree Turn 13 left-hander.
A series of high-speed corners will follow before the final sector that features a number of lower-speed turns, the final two being over 90-degree right-handers that then bring the circuit back onto the pit straight — the widest part of the track at 49ft/15 meters, compared to 39ft/12 meters for the majority of the circuit.
At present, Spain has a contract for two races in 2026, with the final year of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya’s deal also meaning the current home of the Spanish GP could still be on the calendar next year.
