Round 14 | Spain

A second homecoming

GRAND PRIX REACTION
Madrid GP header portrait Saturday

In front of the passionate Spanish fans, Fernando finished the inaugural race at Madring in P17, while Lance unfortunately retired following brake issues.

Read on for all the reaction from the team trackside as we got to grips with the brand new circuit.

  • Both drivers lined up on the C2 tyre, this weekend's Hard compound – Fernando from P17 and Lance P21.

  • Lance picked up damage during the opening laps and began having brake issues. He subsequently had to retire the car.

  • Fernando's AMR26 was also damaged after contact from Carlos Sainz. Under a Virtual Safety Car, Fernando changed his front wing and pitted for Softs.

  • Fernando gained positions over the following laps and was up to P17 by Lap 32. 

  • After 23 laps on his Soft tyres, Fernando made a second pitstop on Lap 38 for Hards. He continued on this tyre until the chequered flag, where he placed P17.

  • Lance and Fernando will be back behind the wheel on 24-26 September for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. 

  • Elsewhere, Mari Boya claimed a point in the Formula 2 Sprint Race and finished just outside the points in P11 for the Feature Race.

THE LATEST FROM THE TRACK

Fernando Alonso
14
FernandoAlonso
  • Postion

    15TH

  • Fastest lap

    1:36.473 (SOFT)

  • Laps

    27

  • Max. speed (KM/H)

    283.2

Lance Stroll
18
LanceStroll
  • Postion

    19TH

  • Fastest lap

    1:37.254 (SOFT)

  • Laps

    26

  • Max. speed (KM/H)

    285.1

Fernando Alonso
14
FernandoAlonso
It was about getting familiar with the new track today and working on some optimisation of the car setup.

"It was about getting familiar with the new track today and working on some optimisation of the car setup.

"Unfortunately, we had an issue with the clutch at the end of FP1 and that left us with a slightly delayed start to FP2.

"It's going to be tricky to get it right tomorrow in Qualifying with the traffic and battery management, but we'll look to execute everything as best we can."

  • Postion

    17TH

  • Fastest lap

    1:36.780 (SOFT)

  • Laps

    16

  • Max. speed (KM/H)

    290.0

Lance Stroll
18
LanceStroll
  • Postion

    20TH

  • Fastest lap

    1:37.273 (SOFT)

  • Laps

    20

  • Max. speed (KM/H)

    287.4

Pedro de‎	la Rosa
Pedrode‎ la
It's a great track – challenging for both the drivers and the teams – and we collected a lot of data.

"It's been an interesting first day at the Madring.

"It's a great track – challenging for both the drivers and the teams – and we collected a lot of data, which is positive.

"However, Fernando had a clutch issue at the end of FP1, which compromised the start of FP2 as he missed around 20 minutes, but the team in the garage did a great job to resolve it and minimise the time lost. That left Fernando slightly out of sync, running the Medium and Soft tyres when everyone else was doing high-fuel running, so he encountered some traffic on his final lap.

"Lance was going through the programme very well before suffering a suspected battery issue, which brought his FP2 session to a slightly early end.

"We would have liked to give both drivers more laps because, on a new street track, the more laps you do, the more confident you become when pushing to the limit, but there are still plenty of good learnings to take from today."

Fernando Alonso
14
FernandoAlonso
  • Postion

    17TH

  • Fastest lap

    1:35.020 (SOFT)

  • Laps

    17

  • Max. speed (KM/H)

    291.4

Lance Stroll
18
LanceStroll
  • Postion

    19TH

  • Fastest lap

    1:35.570 (SOFT)

  • Laps

    12

  • Max. speed (KM/H)

    290.3

Fernando Alonso
14
FernandoAlonso
It is great to see so much green and energy from the grandstands.

"The circuit was challenging, and it's a high adrenaline lap at high speeds.

"I think it was probably the maximum we could achieve today in Qualifying and we'll have to see what we can do in the race. It looks like overtaking might be difficult, so we'll have to try to maximise everything to gain positions.

"The fans were very enthusiastic today and it is great to see so much green and energy from the grandstands."

  • Q1

    1:35.388 – 18TH (SOFT)

  • Laps

    9

  • Max. speed (km/h)

    298.0

Lance Stroll
18
LanceStroll
It's clear we still have a lot to work on.

"We had a water pressure issue in Qualifying.

"We knew we'd be starting at the back of the grid anyway with the components we replaced overnight, but I was looking forward to getting some more laps in around here.

"It's clear we still have a lot to work on. There could be some opportunities tomorrow though, so we'll just run our own race and see how it goes."

  • Q1

    Not classified

  • Max. speed (km/h)

    296.8

Fernando Alonso
14
FernandoAlonso
It was incredible to see the support of the fans today and I really enjoyed the atmosphere.

"We needed a chaotic race today to try and change our situation and in the end we didn't have much to fight for. But we tried different things and keep learning about the updated package.

"Unfortunately, Carlos [Sainz] hit me and it meant we had to pit to replace the front wing. There was a penalty given out so that's the decision taken by the FIA and I think it was correct.

"It was incredible to see the support of the fans today and I really enjoyed the atmosphere."

  • Position

    17TH

  • Started

    17TH

  • Fastest lap

    1:39.003 (Lap 40) (SOFT)

  • Pitstops

    2

  • Tyres

    Hard-Soft-Hard

  • Laps

    55

  • Max. speed (km/h)

    303.6

Lance Stroll
18
LanceStroll
It's been a difficult weekend in Madrid.

"I picked up quite a bit of damage in the opening laps. We tried to keep going, but then I started having some brake issues and the pedal was getting very long, so I locked up.

"I tried to spin the car around in the run-off, but I didn't have enough power, so unfortunately that was the end of the race. It's been a difficult weekend in Madrid."

  • Position

    DNF

  • Started

    21ST

  • Fastest lap

    1:43.462 (Lap 11) (HARD)

  • Pitstops

    0

  • Tyres

    Hard

  • Laps

    12

  • Max. speed (km/h)

    273.8

Adrian Newey
AdrianNewey
We now focus on Baku where we will bring further weight saving measures.

"A disappointing afternoon for us in Madrid.

"With Lance retiring early with damage and Fernando also suffering damage after contact with Carlos Sainz, we could not show our true pace.

"Fernando drove a solid race in front of the Spanish fans which helped to gather useful data on this new car for us to analyse.

"We now focus on Baku where we will bring further weight saving measures and continue to optimise the package."

Welcome to Madrid

F1 goes to a regular stream of new venues, but rarely are they to be found within Europe. The Madring becomes the sixth venue to host the Spanish Grand Prix, and the second in Madrid (or, at least, Madrid-adjacent), taking over duties from Barcelona after 35 years at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Following a tough weekend at Monza, the team has an opportunity to bounce-back immediately. There's sure to be plenty of green in the grandstands as Fernando gets another homecoming, while it's also a home race for Mari, who gets another outing at the final scheduled European rounds of the F2 season.

RACE STARTS IN:

00days
00hrs
00mins
00secs

2026 Spanish GP

Official Timing Partner
Session Times
FP1
FP2
FP3
Quali
Race
Track map
  • Sectors
  • Turns
  • Straight Mode
  • Overtake Mode
The layout looks challenging, it has a bit of everything. We don't know the grip level yet and that will have a huge impact on lap-time and car setup.
Pedro de la Rosa – Team Representative
  • Number of corners
    22
  • Number of laps
    57
  • Race distance
    308.524km
Homecoming

How Spain fell in love with F1

Fernando, Pedro, and Mari discuss the journey from niche pursuit to national passion, the support of Spanish fans, and what it means to race with an entire country behind you.

Discover more
How spain fell in love with F1 madrid page
Get the look

Made for Madrid

Inspired by Fernando's roots, shop the 2026 Spain collection, which brings together bold colours and everyday essentials.

SHOP NOW
Madrid store banner
I / AM DROPS

Amplify your fan experience

From exclusive collabs to once-in-a-lifetime prizes, I / AM DROPS is a series of unique and ultra-limited moments and fan experiences.

Sign up for I / AM or sign in to unlock.

SIGN UP / SIGN IN
IAM Drops 1440×1200