Carlos Sainz drove his Williams car around the new Madrid street circuit to provide a first look at the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix venue.

The demonstration marks a critical transition for Formula 1 in Spain. By moving the race to a street-style layout in the capital, the sport shifts from a traditional permanent facility to a high-profile urban environment.

The circuit, nicknamed the "Madring," features a street-style design intended to bring the race into the heart of the city. Sainz completed the laps to help teams and fans understand the layout and the specific challenges of the track, including the La Monumental curve [2].

This promotional effort follows the initial release of a demonstration video on April 25, 2025 [2]. That early footage provided the first glimpse of the urban course before Sainz took to the track in person.

The new Madrid circuit is scheduled to host the Spanish Grand Prix starting in the 2026 season [1]. This move replaces the previous venue as the primary location for the event in Spain.

Organizers used the laps to promote the 2026 event and highlight the technical demands of the street circuit [3, 4]. The onboard footage allows the racing community to evaluate the flow of the track and the tight nature of the street-style corners.

Sainz, a native of Spain, served as the primary driver for this debut to maximize the local and international interest in the project [1, 5]. The event serves as a bridge between the conceptual design of the track and the operational reality of a Grand Prix weekend.

“The new Madrid circuit will host the Spanish Grand Prix beginning in the 2026 Formula 1 season.”

The shift to the 'Madring' represents a broader Formula 1 strategy to prioritize city-center street circuits over traditional racetracks. By relocating the Spanish Grand Prix to Madrid for the 2026 season, the sport increases its visibility in urban hubs and creates a more condensed, high-intensity spectacle for fans, though it introduces the technical unpredictability inherent to street racing.