The street circuit in Madrid which will take over the Spanish Grand Prix next year has a new name.
The race promoters have announced the track will be named “Madring” and explained the reason behind the change.“Formula 1 circuits are typically referred to by the city or region where they are located – Monza, Imola, Interlagos, Spa, Silverstone, Miami, Las Vegas,” they said in a statement. “However, their full official names are rarely used. For this reason, Madring aims to establish a concise and memorable identity that directly references its host city, is instantly recognisable worldwide, and requires no translation.”
“Ultimately, it is more than just a name — it is a genuine, distinctive, and iconic brand, designed to resonate with a modern and engaged F1 audience,” they added.
The track was originally referred to as the Ifema Madrid Circuit, in reference to the exhibition centre on the same site.
F1 is due to have two races in Spain next year. The Madring will replace the Circuit de Catalunya as the home of the Spanish Grand Prix.
However the permanent circuit outside Barcelona has one year to run on its contract after this season and is therefore expected to appear on the 2026 F1 calendar. It has held the Spanish Grand Prix every year since it opened in 1991.
The new circuit has a 10-year deal to host F1, ensuring the Madring will remain on the calendar until at least 2035. The promoter is reported to have paid almost €500 million (£427m) for the race.
The Madring will measure almost 5.5 kilometres, of which 1.5km will be public roads. F1 describes it as a “hybrid” circuit. The track was designed by Dromo, which previously worked on other F1 circuits including Zandvoort in the Netherlands and Sepang in Malaysia.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Miss nothing from RaceFans
Get a daily email with all our latest stories - and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:
Formula 1
- “I can’t turn the car at all”: Full radio from Lawson’s alarming Chinese GP slog to 16th
- Wolff rates Russell’s Chinese Grand Prix performance “10 out of 10”
- Just how poor was Lawson’s pace? Chinese Grand Prix data analysed
- Lawson is relieved the next track is one he knows – but he could be out by then
- Did F1’s radio editing create a false narrative Hamilton was disobeying Ferrari?
Leroy (@g-funk)
10th March 2025, 14:12
This feels like the new kid in school who shows up and tells everyone that his nickname is x, when he just gave that name to himself and no one at his old school ever called him that.
Bobby (@shakenbake)
10th March 2025, 14:39
Unless your father is Elon Musk and X is your actual name… Poor kid
I think Madring has a good ring to it… (i’ll see myself out).
someone or something
10th March 2025, 15:17
You mean a mad ring?
Radoye
10th March 2025, 15:23
It rings kinda mad. (let me join you, just to grab my coat…)
PacificPR (@streydt)
10th March 2025, 17:19
maddening-ring.
El Pollo Loco
10th March 2025, 17:52
Reminds me of the story Stephen Merchant told about as a kid he decided he wanted people to call him “Spud.” Thought it sounded really tough (lol, maybe “spud” evokes different imagery in the UK). So, he starts telling his friends “Have you heard? Everyone’s calling me Spud now.” It didn’t take though apparently (probably for the best). Maybe, though, we can rename Spa-Francochamps to the Spudring.
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
11th March 2025, 3:51
‘Spudring’ it is then, and I’m ‘The Wizard’ from now on. In all seriousness, that promotional image looks very depressing. It can’t be hard to make race cars look exciting. I’m pretty sure one of the marshals has their back turned, which is surely rule no.1 under subsection ‘pay attention’ in the handbook, don’t just stare at the mounds of sand with weeds growing out of it / street circuit.
David
10th March 2025, 14:17
Have to say, it’s got a Madring to it, bruv.
El Pollo Loco
10th March 2025, 17:35
I wonder if Jeddah will become the Sauring. It works on so many levels. They can build that world’s tallest building they’re trying to build at the track and call it Sauring’s Tower. They can have media a “pit” there where MBS (the FIA president, not the prince) will show journos all his instruments for Sauring bones. That’ll get them in line.
AlexS
11th March 2025, 6:47
The tribe that won the civil war is Saud.
BasCB (@bascb)
10th March 2025, 14:18
I agree with them that giving it a name that has a good “mouthfeel” i.e. is easy to say and remember, is a LOT better than naming it “business-park named for sponsor at city XY track” as it was called initially.
But that name will only really stick if it actually becomes memorable for fans. If only the track they were building to do the racing on would really evoke something of that name “Mad Ring” – it could have been great. From what we know so far it won’t be anything special though, despite the PR speak hyping it up to be GREAT
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
10th March 2025, 14:38
Ultimately it is just a name and that kind of PR speak should be filed under G for guff
asz
10th March 2025, 15:19
It’s just been announced but it is already ‘iconic’.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
10th March 2025, 15:26
Ha yeh, one of the most overused and abused words
SteveP
10th March 2025, 15:29
Madring actually translates as “this is not another sandpit” if you look it up in a PRBS to English dictionary, so it seems to bode well.
You might think that way, or just chose to be polite :), most people are filing it under B for…
Mog
10th March 2025, 21:00
Look closely at the prbs translation, it lacks the adverb.
bull mello (@bullmello)
10th March 2025, 15:13
Madring. Hmmmmm……………..
JOA20
10th March 2025, 15:26
Mad-riding would’ve been awesome!
Derek Edwards
10th March 2025, 15:47
Zandvoort to be renamed Maxring, Monza as Ferraring, Monaco as Boring. I like this.
tielemst
10th March 2025, 18:14
That last one made me spill my coffee. Thanks for that :)
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
10th March 2025, 20:20
No, it would be Moring. Possibly the opposite of what you want, judging by the pattern.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
11th March 2025, 19:43
Is Silverstone going to become the Silvering? Or the Hamring (after Lewis).
Sam Crawford
10th March 2025, 15:48
How should we pronounce it? English speakers will read it as Mad-Ring, but I’m fairly sure it’s meant to be Madri-ng, where the ‘dr’ sound from the middle of Madrid is emphasised.
Tacit (@tacit)
10th March 2025, 15:56
Muh DRING. 100% confident.
Jere (@jerejj)
10th March 2025, 16:01
Good name. Short & simply.
PeteB (@peteb)
10th March 2025, 16:11
“Formula 1 circuits are typically referred to by the city or region where they are located – Monza, Imola, Interlagos, Spa, Silverstone, Miami, Las Vegas. However, their full official names are rarely used.”
True. It’s a shame you’ve wasted all this money trying to market the race as “Madring” because as you’ve already said, everyone is going to call it Madrid.
David BR (@david-br)
10th March 2025, 16:23
Hate it. Why would a Spanish capital with such a rich history want to brand itself with an English name? Yuck marketing and Americanization just when the US is or should soon be on the out in terms of ‘global recognition.’
kuvemar
10th March 2025, 16:33
Pretty sure Ring in this context is German. It would be loop in English.
SteveP
10th March 2025, 18:09
Ring Road – typical English.
Although contextually, an English ring road is not something people ever manage to go fast on
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
10th March 2025, 20:32
I have driven the 7+ rings of Kuwait. Pretty sure it’s British.
These new tracks don’t make sense, unless they are getting the local polities to pay for this stuff, which is kind of like the scam of building large stadiums in the states, where the public pays for these monstrosities, or like what the olympics do. This kind of thing needs to go away, seriously, these scams only turn people off to F1.
Its like last year when they had the president of Rwanda handing out trophies. I was like, do these people know what this guys is responsible for doing ? his history and relationship with the US and the lies surrounding the genocide in Rwanda. I was like, are the owners of F1 trying to pervert and run F1 in to complete shambolics ?
Stop, in the name of decency. Get rid of the investors, and let the fans who attend to the venues be the ultimate stake holders and deciders of what is good or bad, and determine how much money the bums trying to shakedown F1 for all it’s worth.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
10th March 2025, 17:06
Ever been to madrid? half the signs on shops are in english… from “bakeries” to “nail salon”
Wer
12th March 2025, 13:36
@fer-no65
That’s his goddamn point, isn’t it? Focus, mate… SMH.
@david-br
100% with you. It’s pathetic.
Ferdi
11th March 2025, 7:39
Well, that would make it consistent with it’ origins and purpose. It a set up invented by an US entertainment company to create more revenue from their franchise. We all know street circuits do not deliver anything for the sport itself.
MichaelN
10th March 2025, 16:46
Other than calling it iconic, which is pretty weird since it’s not even done, it’s fun.
I’m no particular fan of puns, but this is a bit of a wink-wink name for a track. I approve!
Everyone who doesn’t like it can still call it the ‘semi-permanent Madrid F1 circuit’. It’s fine.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
10th March 2025, 20:19
I’ll probably end up calling it “Madrid” or “the Madrid track”.
Marcus (@marcusw)
10th March 2025, 16:52
Yo yo dem mans doing some sick moves on dat madring innit bruv!
Chris Horton
10th March 2025, 17:02
Races be cray on the Madring….
Hideous.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
10th March 2025, 17:05
Madring, dude… really???
In spanish it sounds absolutely ridiculous.
Gusm.ai
10th March 2025, 18:18
Madrink?
WheeledWarrior
10th March 2025, 17:49
Oh, another street circuit.
Might just as well call it BO-RING.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
10th March 2025, 19:13
Bo knows F1
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
10th March 2025, 20:18
If Bonn ever bids for a Grand Prix…
João
10th March 2025, 18:05
Sounds really, really stupid both in Spanish and English.
João
10th March 2025, 18:17
And the logo looks as if it says “LMAO RING”…
SteveP
11th March 2025, 8:20
So, you’ll be laughing your ring off ?? ;)
Bob C
10th March 2025, 18:14
You just got to love marketing-speak:
So this is how they tell me that I am un-modern and dis-engaged? Well, I have suspected it for a while, but couldn’t they have broken the confirmation to me a bit more gentle?
(anyway, call it what you want, just as long as you keep racing at Spa …)
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
10th March 2025, 18:18
Made me laugh (the first time, anyway.) Wacky races!
Roger Ayles (@roger-ayles)
10th March 2025, 18:19
Mad will be what fans will be having to sit through yet another street circuit.
Street circuits used to be fun because there wasn’t so many of them and they each offered very different challenges not just compared to other street circuits but aluthe permanent ones.
But now they all have a very similar feeling because they are designed to tick boxes like having to have a boringly long straight, having to have an area section and a fast esses section and all be billiard table smooth and very wide with lots of runoff.
You compare it to Indycar and yeah they race on a fair few street circuits but they all look and feel very different and all offer unique challenges which gives them some character that helps them stand out.
Joe (@jb784)
10th March 2025, 18:28
F1 becoming more and more of a joke…
Ferdi
11th March 2025, 7:45
Unfortunately, yes. I wonder when Liberty will introduce the mandatory clown’s nose, for drivers to wear whenever they are not in the car.
ADUB SMALLBLOCK (@waptraveler)
10th March 2025, 18:54
This is good, it matches with F1’s nickname. “KaChing”
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
10th March 2025, 20:17
I thought the Spanish equivalent of April Fools’ Day was 27th December, because I cannot believe any Spanish venue would seriously use such a name as “Madring” when it has no meaning in Spanish and, let’s say, unfortunate implications in English. Even “Maring”, let alone “Madridring”, would have been an improvement. If the circuit creators had been willing to consider other ideas, like “Madrillo” (combining Madrid with Spanish for “ring” as in “a ring of Saturn”) or “Madrro” (combing Madrid with Spanish for “ring” as in “circle on the ground”; Spanish phonetics mean it would be pronounced Ma-ddro, just like Madrid with, without the phonetic equivocation of “Madring”), that would have been best of all.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
10th March 2025, 20:25
Edit after consulting a dictionary:
Actually, “Madring” means “ruin”, which is even worse :D
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
10th March 2025, 20:27
“Maring” means “dark spots on the moon”. Haven’t found “Madrillo” or “Madrro” in the dictionary.
Coventry Climax
11th March 2025, 10:07
You needn’t have done it the difficult way. Even if you don’t speak spanish, don’t have a dictionary, lack access to a search engine and a computer, and there’s no public library nearby? Just look over the hedge to see what the name is for the big cycling event they do around Spain every year.
Hint: In France they call their similar event ‘Le Tour’, as a short for ‘Tour de France’.
And I’m not even a cycling fan.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
11th March 2025, 21:40
Unless you are seriously suggesting it is called “field” (that’s what’s over the nearest hedge to me), I’m not sure what you’re trying to say. Also, “Tour” is not the word French people use for circuits, but for journeys.
Unicron (@unicron2002)
10th March 2025, 22:16
Hungaroring, Nurburgring, Slovakia Ring, Osterreichring/A1-ring/Red Bull Ring, Salzburgring, Norisring, Hockenheimring… Madring. Hmm. The Spanish-German hybrid is a bit clumsy I think. At least they gave it a go though, better than IFEMA Madrid Circuit.
Chris Horton
11th March 2025, 9:01
The difference is, they chose “Mad” not “Madrid”_ring, so your comparison doesn’t work.
It’s deliberate and cheesy as hell.
Neil (@neilosjames)
10th March 2025, 22:30
Maybe strange, but the first thing it made me think of was Madri beer. As was the second thing, and now all I think when I read the name is ‘beer’.
It’s like missing the ‘d’ off the end of Madrid has made my brain erase any association with the city.
Probably just me though, so it’s not quite a free title sponsorship.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
11th March 2025, 8:02
Sounds about right for beer that has absolutely nothing to do with Spain.
SteveP
11th March 2025, 10:57
English factory liquid with no connection to Spain as you say. Or beer really.
Leo B
10th March 2025, 23:16
“The Ring of Fire” would have been apt too. With ref to the heat of a Madrid summer, and the consequence of hot spicy food being constipation.
Michael A.
10th March 2025, 23:39
Quite predictable from simple minds that make $Millions out of Formula One!
W-K (@w-k)
10th March 2025, 23:41
For those battling Max, Mutually Assured Destruction Ring
Biskit Boy (@sean-p-newmanlive-co-uk)
11th March 2025, 8:29
Barcelona is an awful track. This will be better.
Turn 5 looks very dangerous though.
rsp123 (@rsp123)
11th March 2025, 9:14
Madring, Crazyloop, Pottylap, Circ-Insane…
Did they hire Ben Elton for this?
Craig
11th March 2025, 10:34
I think he’s got a bit more wit then that.
Greg
11th March 2025, 16:00
Mad-Ring
Aquila_GD
11th March 2025, 21:28
Does ‘Mad’ Ring not contravene an FIA swearing ban?
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
11th March 2025, 21:42
No.
It potentially contravenes the related FIA ban on derogatory language. However, some people have tried to reclaim the term, and even among those who have not, some people use it as a compliment.
some racing fan
11th March 2025, 22:51
That is the worst name for a race track in history. Even worse, somehow than Caesars Palace