Ferrari and Mercedes Madring secrets exposed after Spanish GP practice

The first two free practice sessions at the new circuit in Madrid are complete; with just a single red flag, teams gathered plenty of information while drivers began building confidence.

Let’s take a look at the initial data from the Madring, who is shining where, and what we can expect for the remainder of the weekend.

Unexpectedly clean sessions at the Madring

The first free practice session was reserved for data gathering and, even more importantly, building driver confidence at the new Madring.

When facing a completely new circuit on the calendar, you simply cannot afford to lose any track time in practice. Consequently, the drivers exercised extra caution, and the session concluded without a single red flag.

As we might have expected, teams are experimenting with varying energy deployment strategies, though certain patterns have already emerged.

Comparing the fastest FP1 laps set by George Russell, Charles Leclerc, and Max Verstappen reveals distinctly different approaches.

Ferrari proved most aggressive in the opening sector; on the circuit’s longest straight between Turn 3 and Turn 4, their top speed was the highest – and by no small margin. From that straight through to Turn 12, things remained fairly even before Ferrari once again registered the highest peak speed through the sweeping La Monumental corner.

From that point on, Mercedes took charge. They completely dominated the final sector. Just look at the delta trace and the spike following Turn 12. The gap is most pronounced through Turn 15 as well as the later Turn 18–Turn 19 sequence.

From a lead of around 0.3 seconds that Leclerc held after La Monumental, the end-of-lap margin swung to nearly half a second in the Briton’s favour.

One plausible theory is that the Italian squad tailored this strategy expecting to play defense on Sunday. The main straight in Sector 1 will likely serve as one of the primary overtaking hotspots, whereas pulling off a move in Sector 3 appears remarkably difficult.

However, teams managed to optimise their strategies on short notice, making the situation in FP2 appear much closer – at least regarding the delta gaps between these drivers, which shrank considerably.

Specifically, in the second practice session, Ferrari subtly tweaked their strategy to align more closely with Mercedes. They remained equally swift in Sector 1 while adjusting their run through La Monumental – reducing deployment there to save electrical energy for Sector 3, thereby trimming their deficit to Mercedes.

Verstappen in the Red Bull remained the fastest of the trio through the middle sector in both FP1 and FP2. He utilised aggressive deployment through Turn 9, while his biggest step between the two sessions was visible through Turn 15. In FP2, the Dutchman was comfortably the quickest through this corner, which remains a key area where teams continue testing alternative deployment maps.

Yet when discussing qualifying pace, the battle looks set to be fought between Ferrari and Mercedes, who are currently the fastest and seem to best grasp this highly complex circuit layout.

Term of the day: Tyre degradation

Particularly during Friday’s action, driver complaints regarding tyre degradation were loud and clear. Featuring chicanes, high-speed sweeps, and two straights, coupled with high track temperatures on an unproven asphalt surface, the Madring presents a formidable puzzle when it comes to rubber.

Whichever team solves this conundrum first will almost certainly hold a massive advantage on Sunday, as well as in Saturday’s qualifying.

An example that nicely illustrates the tyre trouble is a comparison between Hamilton’s and Leclerc’s fastest laps in FP1.

Namely, the Monegasque was exceptionally aggressive through the opening half of the lap. Paired with a potent electrical deployment map from Turn 8 through to La Monumental, he built a lead of roughly half a second over the Briton. After that came the cliff.

Following Turn 12, Hamilton gradually chipped away at the deficit, eventually wiping it out entirely. While energy deployment played a part here as well, take a look at the run through the final corner and the disparity in apex speed.

It is highly probable that Leclerc overheated his tyres in the first half of the lap, especially through La Monumental, which places extreme load on the rubber, costing him the performance required to finish the lap cleanly.

What can we expect for the race?

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FP2 was a rather busy session where the drivers’ main enemy turned out to be traffic. Although the Madring is by no means a short circuit, blind spots and the inability to spot cars ahead or behind early enough created severe congestion, disrupting many runs.

Consequently, we unfortunately lack fully representative data regarding long-run race simulations.

What was clearly observable, however, is that tyre degradation is very much real, driven primarily by sliding, even though drivers confirmed that grip levels are high.

Under such elevated track temperatures, sliding is the absolute enemy, as it continuously drives up surface tyre temperatures, triggering a rapid thermal drop-off in performance.

Currently a complete unknown, it will be interesting to see which strategic routes teams opt for, especially given that the pit lane time loss at this venue is significantly higher than the season average.

Yet perhaps an even more crucial race than Saturday’s track sessions will be the overnight grind between Friday and Saturday. Teams will undoubtedly burn the midnight oil, working alongside factory engineers to dial in the optimal car balance. Given that the Madring is a blank canvas with zero historical data, seeing who adapts most effectively will be critical.

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