Alonso and Sainz headline the launch of Madrid’s new Formula One circuit

Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz will be the main attractions when Formula One returns to Madrid next weekend. Alonso is a two-time world champion, while Sainz will race literally at home for Williams as the new semi-urban Madring circuit stages the Spanish Grand Prix.

The race will be the 14th round of the Formula One world championship and the 56th edition of the Spanish Grand Prix. The event was first held in 1951 at Barcelona’s Pedralbes circuit, where Argentina’s five-time world champion Juan Manuel Fangio won. Madrid last hosted Formula One 45 years ago, and the race returns after 35 consecutive editions at Montmeló.

Madrid has previously staged races at the Jarama circuit, which hosted nine events. The Madring will become the sixth Spanish venue to hold a Formula One race, after Pedralbes, Jarama, Montjuïc, Jerez de la Frontera and Montmeló. It will be the 10th time the capital has hosted the event.

The weekend will also bring the championship’s youngest-ever leader, Italy’s Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes, who has just turned 20. He won at Monza on Sunday after starting 19th on the grid and completing a striking recovery.

The 5.419-kilometre Madring features 22 corners. Its standout section is the 550-metre Monumental, which has a maximum gradient of 24%. Drivers will complete 57 laps on Sunday, covering about 308 kilometres. The winner will follow Oscar Piastri, who took last year’s Spanish Grand Prix at Montmeló, unless the Australian wins again.