Ferrari christens all-new F1 circuit ahead of September debut
Charles Leclerc is the first driver to head out on track at the Madring in F1 machinery.
Ferrari has taken to the all-new Madring Circuit, home of the Spanish Grand Prix from September, with a filming day in Madrid.
Reports of a filming day emerged earlier this week, with the team having now confirmed the news as Charles Leclerc took to the all-new layout ahead of its arrival in Formula 1.
Ferrari filming day takes place at all-new Spanish GP venue
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The Madring, so named for Formula 1’s return to Madrid on a layout which navigates its way around the IFEMA Exhibition Centre, this new street circuit has joined the sport on a 10-year deal, along with taking on the Spanish Grand Prix name from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Ferrari confirmed it was in town on Thursday morning via social media, releasing a short clip as Leclerc emerged from the garage for the first time, with Lewis Hamilton reportedly due to take the wheel in the afternoon.
Construction has gone at pace to ensure the circuit is ready for FIA homologation ahead of its debut in the sport, with Leclerc the first driver to head out of the pit lane on an understandably dusty surface.
Ferrari has used one of its allocated filming days for this season to ‘christen’ the Madring in Formula 1 machinery, with the Scuderia able to complete up to 200km, or around 37 laps, in its current car, the SF-26.
Organisers at the 22-corner, 5.416km circuit have looked to highlight Turn 12 as a new, potentially iconic corner in Formula 1, which has been dubbed ‘La Monumental’.
The long, banked right-hander is set to be the longest of its kind in Formula 1, with drivers turning right continuously for 550 metres at a 24% banked gradient – similar in profile to Turns 3 and 14 at Zandvoort, propelling the drivers into the next part of the circuit.
The arrival of the Madring, which has hometown hero Carlos Sainz as an ambassador, will see the return of Spain’s capital to the Formula 1 calendar for the first time in 45 years, after Jarama’s final outing in 1981.
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Sainz recently took a Ford Mustang GT around the circuit to offer his first impressions, saying of La Monumental specifically: “Twenty-four degrees of banking, sustained for almost half a kilometre, so 500 metres.
“This will allow for side-by-side racing, especially for getting out of the dirty air – go high [or] go low – with the idea of [Turn 3 at] Zandvoort.
“Right at the end, it [the circuit] goes up and then down, so it’s not only banking, it’s up-and-down banking.
“I think this is going to be epic.”
The new Spanish Grand Prix takes place from 11-13 September.
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