– The brand new Madring, where the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix is taking place today, has its peculiarities. Not only on the track, such as the steep curve La Monumental, but also off it, with the somewhat unusual paddock architecture in the middle of the Madrid trade fair grounds.
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The trucks of the Formula 1 teams are partly housed in huge exhibition halls, and the distances from A to B are long – so long that most teams do not let their drivers and VIPs walk, but chauffeur them with buggies or give them e-scooters. “The golf buggy thing is a first. I’ve never had that at a race before,” grins Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff.
With negative consequences for everyday movement, as he explains with a wink in an interview with ORF: “Last night I checked how many steps I took all day. And it was 2,000. So I didn’t walk much, because of the super golf buggy.”
The number of steps has increasingly come into focus in recent years due to the spread of smartwatches and fitness trackers for health and fitness. For context: 6,000 to 8,000 steps per day are generally considered a decent daily level. Anything below 4,000 steps corresponds more to the activity level of an office job.
Apart from the fact that the buggies and scooters tempt him to move little, Wolff finds the premiere of the Madring successful: “Great what they have put together here on the trade fair grounds. I find the track layout spectacular. These hills they have inside. And it’s not permanent. They can dismantle the whole thing again. And then they use this steep wall curve for concerts or events.”
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Madrid, the Austrian thinks, “has done a good job overall”: “The pit is huge. And I think next year, when it will be the second year, there will be significantly more events around it. So really a nice addition to the calendar.”
With a potential weak point: After the two practice days, most drivers fear that the race could become a procession without overtaking maneuvers. But Wolff does not see that as a dealbreaker either: “The organizer already told me, if it really becomes difficult to overtake, they have to come up with something else for next year. Until maybe it goes longer straight ahead.”
Madrid is part of the Formula 1 calendar for the first time in 2026. The Spanish metropolis has signed a ten-year contract with Formula 1 running through 2035.
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The premiere race starts on Sunday at 3:00 PM CEST. (Follow the 2026 Spanish GP now in the Formula 1 live ticker!)
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