Madring Formula 1 Tickets – What you need to know
There are two main things you need to know when selecting your tickets for the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid. These caught me out when I went to the race – don’t let them do the same to you.
1 – The grandstands you choose when buying your tickets are not exactly the same name / number as the grandstand you end up sitting in.
To explain, when buying your tickets you will see a map to select your grandstands like this:
However, the organisers of the Spanish Grand Prix at Madring have made a strange decision to not show the actual name of the grandstands when you buy your tickets. The reality of the grandstand naming and layout when you get to the circuit is like this map shows:
That means that if you buy a ticket for the Turn 10 Silver grandstand, for example, you may end up with a ticket for either GE01 or GE02. Or if you buy one for Turn 12C Silver, you may end up sitting in either GE11, GE12 or GE13.
I’ve written guides for loads of grandstands at the circuit, based on what they’re called when you’re actually sitting in them at the track. To help you cross reference these, I’ve made this table:
| Ticket Name | Grandstand at the Track |
|---|---|
| Main Straight 1A Covered Gold (Recta 1A Cubierta Gold) | GA01 |
| Main Straight 1B Covered Gold (Recta 1B Cubierta Gold) | GA01 |
| Main Straight 1C Covered Gold (Recta 1C Cubierta Gold) | GA01 |
| Turn 2 Gold (Curva 2 Gold) | GB01 or GB02 |
| Straight 3 Bronze (Recta 3 Bronze) | GC01 or GC02 |
| Turn 4A Bronze (Curva 4A Bronze) | GC03 |
| Turn 4B Bronze (Curva 4B Bronze) | GC04 |
| Turn 5 Silver (Curva 5 Silver) | GC05 |
| Turn 10 Silver (Curva 10 Silver) | GE01 or GE02 |
| Turn 12 Gold (Curva 12 Gold) | GD01, GD02, GD03, GD04, GD05, GD06, GD07, GD08, GD09, GD10 or GD11 |
| Turn 12A Silver (Curva 12A Silver) | GE03, GE04, GE05, GE06, GE07 or GE08 |
| Turn 12B Silver (Curva 12B Silver) | GE09 or GE10 |
| Turn 12C Silver (Curva 12C Silver) | GE11, GE12 or GE13 |
| Straight 13A Silver (Recta 13A Silver) | GE14A, GE14B or GE15 |
| Straight 13 Gold (Recta 13 Gold) | GE16 |
| Straight 14A Bronze (Recta 14A Bronze) | GE17 |
| Turn 14B Bronze (Curva 14B Bronze) | GE18 or GE19 |
| Turn 14C Bronze (Curva 14C Bronze) | GE24 |
| Turn 15 Bronze (Curva 15 Bronze) | GE20 or GE21 |
| Turn 16 Silver (Curva 16 Silver) | GE22 |
2 – The second important thing you need to know is that you can only enter the zone which your ticket gives you access to. You cannot go from one fan zone to another.
Each Fan Zone is a different size and has a different amount of stuff to do in it. The Distrito Fan zone is by far the biggest and the best, so you want a ticket for a grandstand in that zone ideally.
I’ve written a full review and guide to the different zones at the Madring to help you choose.
Here’s how the zones are laid out:
To help you get an idea of what the different grandstands and the Pelouse General Admission area are like at the Madring for the Spanish GP, I’ve written reviews to loads of different stands. These guides include videos of the views, seating plans, info on shaded areas / how hot they are, seating plans and lots more:
Alex’s top pick: As you cannot move between Fan Zones at the Madring, you want to be in the Distrito Fan Zone which is the biggest and the best.
There’s loads of grandstands to choose from that get you in there. Personally I wouldn’t choose one on the outside of La Monumental corner (Turn 12) as you only see the cars for a few seconds.
One of my favourites in the Distrito fan zone was GE24 – it had good views of turns 14 and 15 and the sun was behind you in the afternoon rather than being directly on your face, which was a big positive. Alternatively, GE22 had good views of the slow Turn 16 so you could see the cars for a bit longer there as they went under the tunnel, and ideally you’d get seats 60-90 in rows 5 – 15 for the perfect view from that stand.
I also really liked GB01 and GB02 which gave fantastic views of Turns 1, 2 and 3 (GB02 was better for seeing more of Turn 3), but the big downside is that it was in the small Bulevar Sol Fan Zone with not a lot to do when you’re not sat in the stand.
Is Pelouse General Admission worth it? No. The views were rubbish.
Visitor Information
If you’re heading to Madrid for the Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring then here’s some other vital information you need to know before you go:
Circuit Info
Here’s some other information about the circuit itself:
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