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Madring Circuit Awaits: Antonelli Leads F1 Charge in Spain

Formula 1 rolls into the unknown in Round 14 of the 2026 season, as the championship heads to the brand-new Madring circuit for the Spanish Grand Prix from 11-13 September.

A fresh track, a title fight beginning to harden around one name, and a grid still buzzing from one of the drives of the year. The calendar might say late summer, but this feels like a turning point.

Antonelli arrives as the man to beat

Kimi Antonelli comes to Spain with momentum crackling around him. At Monza, in front of his home crowd, the Mercedes driver turned a miserable Saturday into a career-defining Sunday: 19th on the grid, first at the flag.

It wasn’t just a win. It was a statement. A charge through the field that tightened his grip on the championship and underlined why Mercedes have built their future around him.

George Russell backed that up with second place to complete a Mercedes one-two at the Italian Grand Prix, a result that hinted at a team rediscovering its authority just as the season heads into its decisive stretch. Max Verstappen salvaged third for Red Bull, but for once he watched a different car control the race.

Now they all face Madring, a circuit no one in this generation has raced in anger. Data will be thin. Margins will be brutal. And a confident Antonelli will fancy striking again.

Gasly’s breakthrough and Ferrari’s frustration

Monza didn’t just belong to Mercedes. For Pierre Gasly, it finally brought a milestone he had chased for years: his first career pole position, delivered in Alpine colours.

On Saturday in Italy, Gasly nailed the lap of his life to put his car at the front of the grid and jolt the established order. It was the kind of qualifying performance that can change a driver’s standing in the paddock overnight. Now the question is whether Alpine can turn that single-lap shock into a sustained threat as the circus rolls into Spain.

Ferrari, by contrast, left their home race nursing bruises. Charles Leclerc crashed out, ending any hope of a red fairytale at Monza. Lewis Hamilton could do no better than sixth, a flat result on a day when the tifosi came expecting fireworks. The Madring weekend offers a reset, but also pressure: this part of the year is unforgiving to teams still searching for consistency.

A new circuit, a tight schedule

The Spanish Grand Prix weekend at Madring runs to a compact, familiar rhythm, all times BST:

  • Friday, 11 September
    • First practice: 12:30-13:30 (Sports Extra 2 and via BBC Sounds and smart speakers)
    • Second practice: 16:00-17:00 (Sports Extra 2 and via BBC Sounds and smart speakers)
  • Saturday, 12 September
    • Third practice: 11:30-12:30 (Sports Extra 2 and via BBC Sounds and smart speakers)
    • Qualifying: 15:00-16:00 (BBC Sport website and app)
  • Sunday, 13 September
    • Race: 14:00 (Sports Extra 2 via BBC Sounds and smart speakers)

Lights go out at 14:00 on Sunday for 57 laps around a track that will quickly reveal who adapts fastest. With commentary available across BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app, fans won’t miss a corner of F1’s latest experiment.

Antonelli arrives as the hunted man, Gasly as the surprise pole-sitter in waiting, Ferrari with something to prove. On a brand-new piece of tarmac in Madrid, the next chapter of this title race is about to be written.

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