Brand-new track, last race in Europe for a while. The Audi Revolut F1 Team heads to Circuito de Madring for FORMULA 1 TAG HEUER GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA 2026 — Round 14, 11–13 September. First Formula 1 race at the venue, second half of the Monza–Madrid back-to-back, then the championship leaves the continent again.
New asphalt for everyone
Formula 1 lists the Madring at 5.414 km, 57 laps, 308.399 km. First Grand Prix: 2026. Twenty-two corners with a street-circuit-meets-permanent mix. The party piece is La Monumental — about half a kilometre of banking at roughly 24%. Nobody has race data here. That levels the weekend more than a classic like Monza ever will.
After Italy, Audi is 8th in the constructors’ championship on 16 points (Haas 21, Williams 11). Gabriel Bortoleto has 10; Nico Hülkenberg has 6. Last Sunday both cars finished just outside the points — Bortoleto P11, Hülkenberg P12 — after messy opening laps closed a four-race points streak.
What the team is saying
Racing director Allan McNish, from the 8 September Content Hub preview in Hinwil: “Madrid will be a new challenge for everyone, and there is always an added element of the unknown when we arrive at a circuit for the first time. It means we will need to be effective in every practice session and build up as best as we can ahead of qualifying and the race, making the most of the preparation work we have done in the sim and at HQ. It is the final European race of the season before we head back overseas, so we want to finish this part of the calendar on a strong note and deliver another solid performance into the top ten.”
Hülkenberg (#27): “There’s always something exciting about arriving at a brand-new circuit. Nobody really knows what to expect until the cars hit the track, so it’s one of those weekends where you have to learn and adapt very quickly. Overall, we’ve been moving in the right direction over the last few races and, if we can get on top of things early, hopefully we can put ourselves in a good position to finish the European part of the season on a positive note.”
Bortoleto (#5): “I’m looking forward to the race in Madrid: I’ve been preparing for it in the simulator, and now I’m curious to experience it for real. A new circuit is always an exciting challenge, because everyone starts from a similar position and we’ll be learning new things as we go through the weekend. We were better than we expected in Monza in terms of performance, which was encouraging, and hopefully Madrid will give us a chance to fight for something more. It’s the last race in Europe this year, so it would be nice to finish this run with a strong result.”
When it runs (CEST / ET)
Toronto is six hours behind Madrid. FP1 Friday 11:30–12:30 CEST (5:30–6:30 a.m. ET). FP2 Friday 15:00–16:00 (9–10 a.m. ET). FP3 Saturday 10:30–11:30 (4:30–5:30 a.m. ET). Qualifying Saturday 14:00–15:00 (8–9 a.m. ET). Race Sunday 13:00 CEST (7:00 a.m. ET).
One line on the juniors: Freddie Slater leads Formula 3 by 15 points into the Madrid season finale for the Audi Driver Development Programme. Then it is the R26 on brand-new Spanish asphalt.
Sources: Audi Revolut F1 Team, 2026 Spanish Grand Prix preview; Audi Revolut F1 Team; Formula 1, Spanish GP 2026; 2026 teams’ standings.