Formula 1 has a new Spanish stage this weekend, and it arrives with a championship fight that suddenly feels sharper.
Madrid’s newly built Madring circuit makes its Grand Prix debut from September 11 to 13, bringing the championship back to the Spanish capital for the first time in 45 years.
At the centre of the story is Kimi Antonelli, who arrives with a 66-point lead after a remarkable victory at Monza that made him the first Italian driver to win the Italian Grand Prix in 60 years.
At a glance
- Formula 1 heads to Madrid for the first Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring circuit from September 11 to 13.
- Madring combines public roads and purpose-built sections, with 22 turns and a dramatic banked corner known as La Monumental.
- The full race weekend streams live across MENA on TOD by beIN, with session times listed in Qatar time.
Antonelli arrives in Madrid with the momentum
Antonelli’s Monza drive was the sort of result that changes the temperature of a season.
Starting 19th, he climbed through the field and finished ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, turning a difficult grid position into one of the year’s defining performances.
The race itself had the rhythm of a Grand Prix that refused to settle.
An early red flag followed Charles Leclerc’s crash, while a mid-race Virtual Safety Car gave Antonelli the opportunity to switch to fresh medium tyres as Russell stayed on used hard tyres.
With four laps remaining, Antonelli passed Russell and converted the strategic opening into a landmark victory.
He now leads the Drivers’ Championship with 267 points, ahead of Russell on 201, Lewis Hamilton for Ferrari on 191 and Lando Norris on 171 after his fourth-place finish at Monza.
Madring gives Formula 1 a fresh Spanish identity
Madrid’s return to the Formula 1 calendar carries historical weight, but the venue itself is not leaning on nostalgia.
Madring is a new circuit built around the IFEMA Madrid exhibition centre and Valdebebas, blending public roads with dedicated racing sections.
The 22-turn layout is expected to test teams in several different ways, with high-speed sections, tight corners, elevation changes and heavy braking zones all packed into one new environment.
Cars are expected to reach around 340 km/h, which immediately places emphasis on aerodynamic efficiency, braking stability and how quickly teams can learn a circuit without previous race data.
That last point matters because no Formula 1 race has been held at Madring before.
Three practice sessions will give drivers and engineers their first real view of how the surface evolves, where overtaking might develop and how tyre behaviour shifts across a full Grand Prix weekend.
La Monumental will be the corner to watch
The visual signature of Madring is Turn 12, named La Monumental.
It is a sweeping banked corner measuring approximately 550 metres, with an incline of up to 24 percent.
Drivers are expected to spend around six seconds threading through the corner, which is a long time in a modern Formula 1 car and should make it one of the most scrutinised sections of the lap.
The surrounding grandstands will accommodate up to 45,000 spectators, giving Madrid a set-piece moment that should translate strongly both trackside and on broadcast.
For Carlos Sainz, the weekend has an obvious emotional pull.
The Madrid-born Williams driver is an ambassador for the new event and will race in front of a home crowd as Formula 1 begins its latest chapter in the Spanish capital.
Details & Specifications
| Event | Spanish Grand Prix |
|---|---|
| Round | Round 14 |
| Circuit | Madring |
| Location | IFEMA Madrid exhibition centre and Valdebebas |
| Layout | Public roads and purpose-built sections |
| Turns | 22 |
| Estimated top speed | Around 340 km/h |
| Key corner | Turn 12, La Monumental |
| La Monumental length | Approximately 550 metres |
| La Monumental banking | Up to 24 percent |
| Broadcast | Live on TOD by beIN across MENA |
How to watch the Madrid Grand Prix weekend on TOD by beIN
The Spanish Grand Prix weekend will stream live across MENA on TOD by beIN, with the schedule listed in Qatar time.
- Friday, September 11, Practice 1 at 2:30 p.m.
- Friday, September 11, Practice 2 at 6:00 p.m.
- Saturday, September 12, Practice 3 at 1:30 p.m.
- Saturday, September 12, Qualifying at 5:00 p.m.
- Sunday, September 13, Spanish Grand Prix at 4:00 p.m.
Madrid’s debut gives the championship a rare combination of unknown territory, local emotion and a title leader arriving at full confidence.
If Madring delivers on its mix of speed, banking and technical variety, this could quickly become one of the most distinctive weekends on the Formula 1 calendar.
