Mario Sandoval News · Away from home
Nine restaurants above the curve of La Monumental: Coque at the first Madrid Grand Prix
From 11 to 13 September, the Spanish Grand Prix was held in Madrid for the first time. At the curve of La Monumental, the Official Hospitality programme built La Azotea, a building with a restaurant, terraces and pools: there we cooked, in tasting format, alongside eight other restaurants. The weekend closed with an attendance of 352,618.
We cooked at La Azotea during the first Spanish Grand Prix held in Madrid, from 11 to 13 September. La Azotea is the gastronomic space of Madring's Official Hospitality programme, and Mario Sandoval signed one of the building's nine culinary offerings there.
What La Azotea is
It is the main new feature of the circuit's hospitality programme, operated exclusively by MATCH Hospitality, and it opened at this Grand Prix. A building put up beside the curve of La Monumental, with direct views of the track and three levels: the restaurant below, with bookable tables; above it a terrace with bars, lounge areas and live music; at the top a private rooftop over the Madrid skyline. On Saturday night there was an afterparty.
Nine restaurants on the same menu
La Azotea's food was signed by nine restaurants —ten chefs, because CEBO has two names—: Mario Sandoval (Coque), Hugo Muñoz (Ugo Chan), Javier Sanz and Juan Sahuquillo (CEBO), Javier Bonet (Sala de Despiece), Roberto Ruiz (Barracuda MX), Gianni Pinto (Noi) and Benito Gómez (Bardal), with desserts by Jordi Roca (Rocambolesc) and chocolatier Oriol Balaguer. It was not a Madrid-only line-up: Bardal cooks in Ronda and Rocambolesc was born in Girona.
The idea of the space was to bring the dishes that define each restaurant to a tasting format. In our case, that means translating into a single bite what at Marqués del Riscal 11 is served as a journey through the wine cellar, sacristy, kitchen and table.
The weekend in figures
The Grand Prix closed with an attendance of 352,618: 87,890 on Friday, 122,039 on Saturday and 128,183 on Sunday. The race was won by Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), and drew 1,551,000 viewers on free-to-air television, a 16.9% audience share. Eight out of ten fans reached the circuit by public transport.
The organisers made gastronomy one of the pillars of the experience, with twelve VIP offerings within the Official Hospitality programme. Madrid launched its circuit with a line-up of well-known restaurants, and that framing is new for a Grand Prix in Spain.
Frequently asked questions
- What is La Azotea at the Spanish Grand Prix?
- The gastronomic space of Madring's Official Hospitality programme, operated by MATCH Hospitality: a building beside the curve of La Monumental with a restaurant, panoramic terraces, pools and lounge areas with direct views of the track.
- Which chefs were at La Azotea in 2026?
- Nine restaurants: Mario Sandoval (Coque), Hugo Muñoz (Ugo Chan), Javier Sanz and Juan Sahuquillo (CEBO), Javier Bonet (Sala de Despiece), Roberto Ruiz (Barracuda MX), Gianni Pinto (Noi) and Benito Gómez (Bardal), with desserts by Jordi Roca (Rocambolesc) and Oriol Balaguer.
- When was the first Spanish Grand Prix held in Madrid?
- From 11 to 13 September 2026, on the semi-urban Madring circuit, beside IFEMA Madrid. It was won by Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes).
- How many people attended?
- An attendance of 352,618 over the whole weekend. Eight out of ten arrived by public transport.
Sources
- The gastronomic experience at La Azotea, MADRING press release.
- MADRING cierra su primera edición con 352.618 asistencias, MADRING, (in Spanish).
- MADRING Official Hospitality: alta cocina, arte y motor en el GP de España 2026, elEconomista (in Spanish).
- El balance del GP de Fórmula 1 en Madrid, elEconomista (in Spanish).
- El GP de España tuvo 352.618 espectadores a lo largo del fin de semana, Infobae / EFE (in Spanish).
More about the team: Mario Sandoval, chef · Diego Sandoval, maître d' · Rafael Sandoval, sommelier · The experience, step by step
