Madrid GP build races ahead despite local backlash

Construction of Madrid’s upcoming Formula 1 venue is running ahead of target, though resistance from local residents has increased.

According to EFE news agency, one-fifth of the semi-urban track has already been completed in Valdebebas, with earthmoving works close to 90% done and progressing around five weeks quicker than planned.

Ifema Madrid operations director Carlos Jimenez Luque confirmed the aim is still to have the 5.4-kilometre, 22-turn layout - named ‘Madring’ - ready by the end of May 2026, with the first asphalt due to be laid 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 design blends newly built stretches with existing roads, highlighted by ‘La Monumental’, a 24% banked corner that will be the steepest in Formula 1. Roughly 300 staff are currently on site, with the workforce expected to swell to over 500 before year’s end.

FIA approval has already been granted, and the governing body’s first site inspection is set to coincide with the start of paving next month.

Meanwhile, campaigners continue to voice opposition, with one neighbourhood federation insisting: "The profits will go to a few, and the losses will be paid by everyone."

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