Ferrari F1 team to get early access to new Spanish Grand Prix track with free test day

lewis hamilton, charles leclerc, ferrari, spanish grand prix, graphic — Photo: © IMAGO

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Ferrari to get early access to new Spanish Grand Prix track with free test day

Ferrari will get to try out the new home of F1's Spanish GP sooner than expected

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Wednesday 8 July 2026 08:15

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Following a second grand prix victory of the season for the Scuderia thanks to Charles Leclerc, Ferrari have been handed the chance to get ahead of their F1 rivals for this year's Spanish Grand Prix.

On Sunday at Silverstone, Leclerc brought an end to his F1 win drought, standing on the top step on the podium for the first time since winning the US GP in 2024.

Leclerc and Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton are now the only non-Mercedes drivers who have managed to claim a grand prix win in 2026, with the Maranello-based squad slowly but surely cementing themselves as the biggest rival to Toto Wolff's F1 team under the new regulations.

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The jam-packed calendar will now enjoy a week away from competitive track action before the season resumes with the historic Belgian GP from Friday, July 17 until Sunday, July 19, but Ferrari will be heading straight to Madrid to try out the new track and home of F1's Spanish GP.

Ferrari head to Madring for F1 filming day

For 2026, the Spanish GP has been given a new home.

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya that saw Hamilton take his first grand prix in red last month is no longer the home of the Spanish title race and was instead renamed the Barcelona-Catalunya GP for the 2026 campaign.

Instead, a new track with be taking on the title as F1 heads to Madrid to race on the brand new Madring, which is reportedly still under construction.

With just over two months to go until the inaugural event on the streets of Madrid, event organisers have reassured fans they will work through the night to get the grounds completed if they have to, and Ferrari will be some of the first to test out the unique circuit.

Spanish star Carlos Sainz has already completed a lap for promotional purposes, and Ferrari will now get to carry out their own filming day on Thursday, July 9 ahead of the Belgian GP, marking the first time that F1's 2026 machinery has driven on the brand new circuit.

Italian publication AutoRacer have reported that Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will take to the track in this year's SF-26 for their second available filming day on Thursday.

The drivers will be able to drive 200km between them, about a third of a standard grand prix giving Ferrari an advantage in learning about F1 newest track before any other team.

The Madring organisers are understood to have invited the Scuderia to the circuit for a promotional event, trusting Ferrari to help with 'inaugurating' the track with an F1 car and in return, they will cover all the event costs.

Amid tensions between Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur and Mercedes team principal Wolff regarding the Scuderia's rapid development rate, the Italian team are expected to bring their 2026 challenger to the Spanish circuit mostly as it has appeared at recent races.

This means they will be able to collect vital track data from the filming day ahead of the race there in September without having to worry about exceeding F1's cost cap.

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