Formula 1 News: Madrid F1 track ahead of schedule amid protests

(GMM) Work on Madrid’s new Formula 1 street circuit is progressing faster than expected, even as local opposition continues.

EFE news agency reports that 20 percent of the semi-urban layout in the Valdebebas area is already complete, with earthworks more than 85 percent finished and running five weeks ahead of schedule.

Ifema Madrid operations chief Carlos Jimenez Luque said the deadline for finishing the 5.4km, 22-corner ‘Madring’ circuit remains May 2026, with asphalt laying due to begin in mid-October.

“The main reason we brought forward the work is to start paving as soon as possible and avoid the rainy season,” he explained.

The track will include both existing and new sections, with the standout feature being a banked curve dubbed La Monumental – set to be the steepest on the Formula 1 calendar at 24 percent.

About 300 workers are currently on site, with the workforce expected to rise to 500 by November. The FIA has already validated the layout, with its first inspection visit expected during the asphalt phase next month.

Meanwhile, protests against the event continue in the Spanish capital, with one neighborhood federation declaring, “The profits will go to a few, and the losses will be paid by everyone.”

The inaugural Madrid GP is scheduled for mid-September 2026.