The promoters of F1 Spanish GP are forcing fans to take up ‘Mad Coins’ in exchange of their own currency to buy things inside the Madring complex.
In a lengthy video posted by F1 photographer Kym Illman, among other aspects of the new Madring circuit, which includes the track as the whole, paddock and pitlane, Illman has revealed a unique feature set-up by the promoters of Spanish GP. It relates to the currency brought in by the fans to buy food, drinks, merchandise and more inside the IFEMA complex.
Instead of exchanging currencies of different countries, the promoters are forcing fans to take up ‘Mad Coins’. What are they? They are coins or currency specifically made for use inside the F1 complex. The fans can only use these coins to buy anything they want, whether it is food or drinks.
The unspent coins will be refunded by the end of the F1 Spanish GP weekend withut extra fees. Madring noted that for basic 50 euros, fans will get 50 Mad Coins but for 100 euros, they will have an incentive of five extra coins i.e 105. At the same time, 150 euros will stand them to take away 165 Mad Coins.
Fans will get a wristband which will carry all the details of their purchase and balance. But Illman notes that there are section of fans online who are upset that they cannot bring their set of food and drinks inside the complex – meaning they are forced to buy from inside.
Presentamos MAD-COINS: una forma rápida y cómoda de pagar dentro de MADRING. 🪙🏁
Durante el Gran Premio, podrás utilizar MAD-Coins para pagar comida, bebida y experiencias de forma sencilla y sin necesidad de efectivo.
Puedes comprarlos online antes del evento, cargarlos en tu… pic.twitter.com/xmoJYEEGKM
— MADRING (@madring_oficial) September 5, 2026
Illman says some fans are upset
“Another thing, you can’t pay with cash here for your food and beverages,” said Illman in his video. “It’s all done with mad coins. What are they? Well, you take your euros that can be spent anywhere in Europe and convert them to a coin that can only be spent in there. But the good news is any unspent coins you get refunded.
“But I have seen a lot of comments online from people saying, ‘hey, we can’t bring our own food and drink in’, which I believe to be the case. Yes, there are numerous places where you can get food and drink and to give you an idea, it’s about the same price as what we’re paying last race at Monza,” he rounded off, by adding further details about the Madring circuit.
