Lewis Hamilton is pessimistic about Madrid’s impending debut on the 2026 Formula 1 calendar as he criticised the sport’s recent failures to build “good circuits”.
The ‘Madring Circuit’ will join the calendar from next season onwards as the host of the Spanish Grand Prix.
This means that the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which has had a firm spot on the calendar since 1991, might not have a spot beyond the venue’s current deal for 2026.
With F1 revealing the layout for the brand new, 22-corner-long street circuit in the heart of the Spanish capital of Madrid, anticipation has started to build amongst fans for the latest addition to the staple of tracks on the calendar. That said, Hamilton doesn’t seem to echo the same sentiments.
“As long as they build a good circuit, which I’m less hopeful for – building new circuits is very, very hit and miss. 90 plus per cent of the time it’s worse,” Hamilton told Motorsport Week.
As long as it’s a better circuit, or as good a circuit, I’m not bothered either way.”
The last five years have seen circuits like Jeddah, Miami and Las Vegas be built from scratch to accommodate Grand Prix racing.
But the current generation of F1 cars and the narrow profile of these tracks haven’t promoted wheel-to-wheel action as often as the fans or drivers would have liked.
The seven-time F1 champion’s critical stance on Barcelona’s potential exclusion also stems from his belief in protecting the sport’s heritage.
Legacy circuits like Spa-Francorchamps have already been relegated to a rotational spot on the calendar, while Zandvoort will also soon depart the schedule altogether.
With Barcelona heading towards a similar fate despite Fernando Alonso’s insistence it will remain, Hamilton isn’t too pleased about the direction that F1 is taking.
“I think ultimately losing any of the classics, and this is one of the classics, I think would be a shame, because as I said, it’s a great city, there’s a great following here in Spain, particularly since Fernando was here,” he explained.
“This feels like a home of Formula 1 in Spain, but it’s okay to progress as a sport, and I know Madrid, as I said, is a great location.”
Verstappen backs Hamilton over potential calendar loss
Max Verstappen has been one of the most vocal supporters of keeping F1’s fabric intact.
Las Vegas’ inclusion on the calendar was met with staunch criticism from the Dutchman, who believed the sport was trying to focus more on the show and less on the racing.
Naturally, regarding Barcelona’s potential axing, the 27-year-old concurs with Hamilton.
“I enjoy driving here, it’s a very good track, very enjoyable,” the Dutchman expressed.
“Of course the racing sometimes is a bit more difficult. I think for F1 in general it would be a bit of a loss of course if this track goes.
“Especially I think for the drivers, but I think even the fan experience is nice, coming here close to Barcelona.”
The new street circuit, built around the IFEMA Madrid exhibition centre, will reportedly cost almost $100 million to erect. The decision to go ahead with the project despite a track like Circuito del Jarama being in close proximity to Madrid means that F1 has seen vast commercial potential in building a circuit within the capital city – a fact that isn’t lost on Verstappen either.
“I get of course also that maybe they want to build something in Madrid and create a bit of a hype there. It’s not up to me anyway,” he concluded.
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