Spanish GP next: Full schedule for F1's first Madrid weekend

With a dramatic weekend at Monza now in the books, featuring Kimi Antonelli's incredible charge from P19 to victory and tensions between the two Ferrari drivers both on and off the track, Formula 1 is ready to head straight to the Spanish capital for the next round of the 2026 season.

As for the timetable, Madrid will follow the traditional Formula 1 weekend format, with three free practice sessions followed by qualifying and the race. The action will begin on Friday with FP1 at 13:30 CEST (12:30 BST), before the drivers return to the track for FP2 at 17:00 CEST (16:00 BST).

Saturday will start with the third and final practice session at 12:30 CEST (11:30 BST), giving the teams one last opportunity to fine-tune their cars before qualifying gets under way at 16:00 CEST (15:00 BST). The weekend will then reach its climax on Sunday, with the inaugural Madrid Grand Prix scheduled to start at 15:00 CEST (14:00 BST).

The FIA has confirmed its press conference line-up for Formula 1's first visit to Madrid, with home favourites Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso among the drivers selected for Thursday's media duties. Several of the championship's biggest names, however, will not feature in the official sessions.

Unsurprisingly, there will be a strong Spanish presence when the drivers face the media on Thursday. Sainz is set to receive particular attention as the Madrid-born driver prepares to race in his home city, while Alonso will also be one of the main attractions for the local crowd.

Franco Colapinto will represent Alpine during Thursday's press conferences, with Esteban Ocon appearing for Haas, Gabriel Bortoleto for Audi and Valtteri Bottas for Cadillac. There will be no drivers from any of the top four teams in the Constructors' Championship taking part in the FIA's Thursday press conferences. They will instead have the chance to address the media outside the official FIA sessions.

Attention will then turn to the team representatives on Friday. After last week's session produced a heated all-Italian exchange between Flavio Briatore and Andrea Stella, the Madrid line-up will feature Mike Krack for Aston Martin, Marcin Budkowski for Cadillac and Alan Permane for Racing Bulls.