F1 2026: Spanish Grand Prix Preview and Predictions

After an electrifying Italian Grand Prix last weekend, racing doesn’t stop as the grid heads to Madrid for the Spanish Grand Prix. A new street track in Madrid will be making its debut as Formula One moves away from Barcelona to Madrid for the Spanish race. 

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli will be high on confidence after his iconic and incredible back of the field win in Monza while Ferrari, who had a race to forget at home, will be hoping to bounce back before the fall out of contention in both championships. 

Ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix 2026, here’s our race preview and predictions. 

Moving into the unknown

For the first time since 1991, the Spanish Grand Prix will be moving away from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as the Spanish Grand Prix moves to a new home, which will be the Madring in Madrid. With a layout of 5.416km and 22 corners. A street circuit, the Madrid track is set to have four main overtaking zones and the ‘longest banked curve’ in F1 which is named, ‘La Monumental’ which is a semicircular corner around 550m long and banking of up to 24%.

As the grid heads into a completely new circuit, it is uncharted waters for the drivers on a street circuit. On paper, it should be a strong track for Mercedes and Ferrari as the two teams have a strong setup for the street circuits and they will start as the favourites although all teams come in with uncertainty as well. Teams, including Williams’ team boss James Vowles has already stated that the new circuit will be a rough one for the teams with high G-forces and we expect a chaotic race in the unknown. 

Pole prediction: Kimi Antonelli / Lewis Hamilton 

Race winners prediction: Mercedes / Ferrari

Not the homecoming for the home heroes?

The race in Madrid means it will be the home race for the two Spanish drivers on the grid, who are two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz. The duo have had a rough 2026 season so far with Alonso scoring the only points for Aston Martin so far as the Silverstone-based team has struggled to keep up with the rest of the grid. 

Sainz and Williams are not too far off as after three ninth place finishes in the opening five races, Sainz has failed to finish in the points since then and is on an eight-race non-scoring streak and only the Cadillac drivers and Lance Stroll have a longer non-scoring streak than him. After spending the first ten rounds right at the back of the field and even struggling to finish the races initially, Aston Mastin’s recent Dutch Grand Prix upgrades have moved them up from the very end of the field but scoring points on merit is still a big ask from the team. 

Williams have struggled, especially on Saturdays as they have had no pace to move up the grid for a high start on Sundays. While Sainz has had a couple of Q2 appearances, the Spaniard has failed to make it to Q3, and with the Alpines and Audis having better race pace, Williams have just managed to finish ahead of the Cadillacs and Aston Martins and are expected to have another rough outing in Madrid.

Alpine on the rise

Alpine might not have picked up a podium finish or top 5 finish in Monza but the Frenchman did impress as Pierre Gasly picked up his maiden career pole with a stunning qualifying session on Saturday, beating the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull. Gasly wasn’t able to match the race pace of the Mercedes, Red Bulls and McLarens but both him and Franco Colapinto put in strong stints that saw them pick up a much needed double points finish in Italy. 

Alpine’s double points finish in Monza sees them keep the pressure on Racing Bulls for the fifth place in the Constructors’ Championships and are looking like a solid midfield team, capable of the odd upset. Alpine brought back their folding rear wing in Monza which saw the car generate less aerodynamic drag and was helpful on the long straights. It remains to be seen whether Alpine brings back the low downforce package to Madrid as well, with the rear wing opening in reverse or if they go back to the more conventional approach. Most recently, Alpine had brought upgrades in Zandvoort where Gasly picked up points in Sprint and main race and given the improved showing in Monza and a move into a track which will bring about a lot of uncertainty, Alpine are one of the teams in the mix to pick up a big haul of points should there be chaos at the front. 

Dark Horses: Alpine

F1 Spanish Grand Prix 2026: Race details

Circuit: Circuito de Madring

Venue: Barajas, Madrid, Spain

Practice Session 1 time: 17:00 IST, September 11, 2026

Practice Session 2 time: 20:30 IST, September 11, 2026

Practice Session 3: 16:00 IST, September 12, 2026

Qualifying time: 19:30 IST, September 12, 2026

Main race time: 18:30 IST, September 13, 2026

Where to watch: F1 TV Pro / FanCode