First Madring clues: red flag chaos, Monaco and Macau comparison, ‘most adrenaline of season’
The Madring will host its first Spanish Grand Prix in September.
Formula 3 in-season testing at the Madring, the new home of the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, saw 19 red flags across its two days, with the new layout set to prove demanding.
Drivers offered comparisons to both Monaco and Macau’s fearsome Guia Circuit after running concluded, though several rising stars in motorsport came a cropper with the circuit’s tight nature.
New Spanish Grand Prix venue sees 19 red flags as F3 testing concludes
While red flags can be a relatively common sight in testing, especially at an all-new circuit, 11 of the 19 stoppages came as a result of barrier contact over the course of two days, and several more through on-track spins, with Formula 1 set to make its first visit in a fortnight’s time.
The narrow chicane of Turns 5 and 6 proved problematic to navigate, with a long curved straight leading up to a heavy braking zone beforehand. At this complex, the track narrows and a barrier awaits on exit – similar in profile to the Turn 14-15 chicane in Miami.
The 90-degree right-hander of Turn 17 also saw multiple instances of barrier contact, with the track opening up to the left heading into the braking zone.
Christian Ho, Fernando Barrichello, Jin Nakamura, Maciej Gładysz, Audi junior Freddie Slater, Michael Shin, Hiyu Yamakoshi, Kanato Le and Mattia Colnaghi all saw instances of barrier contact, with Turns 5, 6 and 7 the most common place for it, along with Turn 17.
Nicola Lacorte also found the wall at Turn 14, a flat-out right-hander following a 90-degree left, while one of Barrichello’s incidents came at Turn 3, through the acceleration zone out of the opening chicane.
Despite the incidents, the Madring drew compliments from those involved, with Spain’s Bruno del Pino describing it as “the most adrenaline-fuelled circuit of the entire season”, while Théophile Naël, currently third in the F3 standings, added: “I feel very comfortable in Macau and Monaco, so I really like this circuit because some sections remind me of them.”
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Formula 1 set for inaugural Madring visit imminently
Formula 1 will be visiting the part-street circuit from September 11-13, with the 22-corner layout taking in both street and permanent racing elements around the IFEMA Exhibition Centre in Madrid.
Spain’s capital takes on hosting rights for the Spanish Grand Prix name from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, joining on a 10-year deal as Madrid rejoins the calendar for the first time since 1981, when the race was held at Jarama.
Ferrari has been the only Formula 1 team to drive at the circuit so far on a filming day, while local hero Carlos Sainz became an ambassador for the circuit upon its inauguration.
Turn 12 is being earmarked as the circuit’s focal point and has already been named ‘La Monumental’, with the long, steep right-hander due to become Formula 1’s longest banked corner in the process.
Construction has been ongoing as Formula 1’s arrival approaches, and with two days of Formula 3 running bringing no shortage of crashes with it, drivers will likely have to be wary of the circuit’s challenges while building familiarity with the layout.
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