(Motorsport-Total.com) – These are crucial questions at every Formula 1 race weekend in 2026. Namely: What is the weather forecast? Is wet track expected on site? Are intermediates or even rain tires needed? Or will it simply remain consistently dry from practice through qualifying to the race, making dry tires sufficient? In short: What should drivers like Nico Hülkenberg, Max Verstappen, and Lewis Hamilton prepare for?
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To answer these questions, our editors have been closely monitoring the weather at the Formula 1 venues several days before the start of tests or race weekends. During the event, this preview article will be updated with new weather details such as temperature in degrees Celsius, wind strength, cloud cover, and expected precipitation for each day of the weekend.
The result is as precise a weather forecast as possible for the respective Grands Prix of the 2026 Formula 1 season. However, all information is without guarantee, as some motorsport locations like Spa-Francorchamps or the Nürburgring are known for particularly changeable weather that cannot always be predicted accurately. Precipitation can also occur there unexpectedly.
Next, Formula 1 will hit the track in Madrid from September 11 to 13, 2026, for the Spanish Grand Prix, the 14th race weekend of the year. (Retrieve the complete 2026 Formula 1 calendar here!)
Friday, September 11, 2026
1st Practice (1:30-2:30 PM)
It will be warm at the start of Formula 1 practice in Madrid: Lots of sunshine and 28 degrees Celsius are forecast for the 1st Practice on the new Madring. There will be no rain, and the wind will play only a minor role: on average, it blows at four km/h from the east onto the track, with individual gusts up to 20 km/h.
2nd Practice (5:00-6:00 PM)
In the evening, it will get a bit warmer again in Madrid: temperatures will break the 30-degree mark. It will remain dry. The wind shifts slightly and now comes from south-southeast, but still blows weakly with an average of four km/h and up to 20 km/h at peak.
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Saturday, September 12, 2026
3rd Practice (12:30-1:30 PM)
Saturday in Madrid will be a mirror image of Friday: Around noon, temperatures will be about 28 degrees Celsius, again likely under clear skies. The wind will again blow from the east, averaging just under four km/h with gusts up to 20 km/h.
Qualifying (from 4 PM)
For the Formula 1 time trial, conditions remain dry. Temperatures rise above 30 degrees. The wind also shifts on Saturday evening: this time it comes from the south but continues to blow weakly with an average of four km/h.
Sunday, September 13, 2026
Grand Prix (start at 3 PM)
For the Formula 1 race on Sunday, it will be hot in Madrid: temperatures up to 32 degrees Celsius are forecast, along with only light wind. As on previous days, a gentle breeze from the southeast blows at an average of four km/h. Individual gusts reach up to 20 km/h.
Note: This forecast will be updated several times during the week!
First forecasts for the Formula 1 race in Baku
At the end of September, temperatures in Baku, Azerbaijan, during the day average between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius. With an average of two to six rainy days per month, showers are not excluded but rather unlikely. The biggest factor for drivers and teams will be the wind: Baku is known as the “City of Winds” – with corresponding effects on driving operations.
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