The Madring continues its preparation ahead of its arrival on the Formula 1 world calendar with two official FIA F3 championship test days on August 24 and 25.
Read more The Belgian Grand Prix could expose the biggest flaw of F1 2026
This session is intended to test the circuit under more representative competition conditions and to validate its sporting, operational, and safety procedures before the first Spanish Grand Prix held in Madrid.
After hosting Ferrari for a filming day last week (photo above), Formula 3 also announced a change to the program of its 2026 finale at the Madring.
A final test
The weekend will include an additional qualifying session as well as a second main race to compensate for the cancellation of the Bahrain round earlier in the season.
“I am very happy to announce this F3 test session, said Bruno Michel, the CEO of Formula 3. It will be two very valuable test days to allow our teams and drivers to assess this new challenge before the crucial final round of the 2026 season.”
Read more Oscar Piastri identifies weather conditions as one of McLaren’s weaknesses
Luis Garcia Abad, promoter of the Madrid Grand Prix, explained that the organizers’ goal was to have a fully operational circuit before the arrival of Formula 1 in September: “From the start, we clearly stated that we wanted to arrive at the Grand Prix with a fully validated and tested circuit. These test days allow us to carry out all the necessary checks before the Grand Prix debut.”
Barcelona remains confident about its future
Meanwhile, David Escude, Barcelona’s city councilor in charge of sports, remains convinced that the Circuit de Catalunya has a long-term future in Formula 1 despite Madrid’s arrival as the new venue for the Spanish Grand Prix: “I think time will prove us right. No one likes the Madrid circuit, not even the drivers themselves. We have one of the best circuits. “
However, he acknowledges that the Circuit de Catalunya still needs to evolve to secure its future: ” Yes, the circuit needs to be modernized and requires investment, but we organize a great race. We hope everything will eventually fall into place.”
The Barcelona circuit is set to return to the Formula 1 calendar in 2028 as part of the new rotation agreement established with Spa-Francorchamps.
Read more Guenther Steiner calls for permanent stewards and AI assistance in Formula 1