MADRID — Most of the Formula 1 grid had driven the Madring only on a simulator when drivers met with reporters Thursday. F1 cars were still a day away from their first laps in the Spanish capital.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, who took a surprise pole position at Monza last weekend, said the “track itself looked insane” on the simulator. Haas driver Esteban Ocon described the Madring as a “crazy circuit” with “a lot of risk-reward.”
“The track seems difficult, first of all, to learn, very technical, a lot of curb riding and a couple of high-speed sections where you need to get very close to the walls, which is very attractive and very high adrenaline for a driver,” Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso said.
Nobody knows yet how much grip the new asphalt will have, Alonso said. Street circuits usually get a lot faster as a weekend goes on, and the two-time world champion expects the Madring to look different by Sunday than it does in first practice.
Alonso also doubted he will have enough energy under the 2026 power unit rules to take La Monumental at full commitment. If that turns out to be the case, he said, the corner after it could become a passing spot.
George Russell And Max Verstappen Weigh In
George Russell trails Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli by 66 points in the championship.
“Very challenging, lots of high speed corners, aggressive curbs. Going to be an experience for sure. Just try and keep out of the wall and build up to it,” Russell said Thursday.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen said the new venue is “probably a car killer,” and Williams team principal James Vowles made a similar assessment of the circuit earlier in the week.
La Monumental And Early Red Flags Headline The Madring
The Madring is roughly 5.4 kilometers (3.4 miles) long and has 22 corners. Organizers built it from a combination of public roads and permanent sections, and it is the first new venue on the F1 calendar since Las Vegas joined in 2023.
Walls line much of the lap. Drivers will also deal with high-speed stretches, heavy braking zones, elevation changes, and blind corners.
Turn 12, known as La Monumental, is the centerpiece of the circuit. The banked right-hander is about 550 meters (roughly 600 yards) long with a 24% banking gradient, and cars will be on it for around six seconds.
From bottom to top, the corner climbs as much as 10 meters (about 33 feet). Entry speeds are predicted at around 300 kph (186 mph).
Honda trackside general manager Shintaro Orihara said Thursday the banking will be hard on engine lubrication systems, with loads coming both laterally and vertically. Honda supplies Aston Martin’s power units.
Formula 3 cars tested at the Madring last month. The two days of running produced 19 red flags, 11 of them for contact with the barriers.
Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak’s car caught fire after hitting the wall during Formula 2 practice Friday. Track workers needed several minutes to clear the area, while Formula 3’s opening session ran without a major incident.
F1’s schedule has two practice sessions Friday and one Saturday morning. Qualifying follows Saturday afternoon, with the race on Sunday.
