How the drivers perceive the "wild" Madrid F1 track

The incidents that triggered the red flags, and led to some unwanted repair costs, were not confined to a specific section but were scattered throughout the lap, primarily in the second sector where multiple chicanes and blind corners exist, including the banked 'La Monumental'. One particularly interesting aspect of gathering driver opinions on this circuit is the surprisingly few negative comments about the Madring, especially when contrasted with Jeddah, which saw its layout modified between its first and second calendar appearances due to driver feedback.

The general feeling is that the drivers are eager to challenge themselves on it.

"I think this track is going to be incredibly tough for the drivers," stated Franco Colapinto.

"In the simulator, putting together a full lap could take me hours. So just imagine how it will be here when you only have two or three laps to figure it out. Achieving that ideal lap will be quite challenging.

"It has a bit of everything. If you took elements from all 24 races on the calendar and blended them together, you would probably end up with something like this. So I'm excited and looking forward to giving it a try."

Tight, blind-entry corners present a challenge as lap time can be lost with a cautious approach

"It’s a little daunting," remarked Sergio Perez. "It reminds me somewhat of Jeddah. A solid, genuine track, and I'm really pleased to be here. I believe the atmosphere here is going to be among the best."

When asked about how punishing the track could be for driver mistakes, Perez was clear.

"I think very," he replied. "It all hinges on the grip level we achieve, but there's little room for error. In rare cases, depending on which corner you misjudge, you might escape unscathed – but in most spots, there's no margin for error."

In the risk-free environment of the simulator, many drivers have already made their significant mistakes. Now, it’s about refining their skills.

"From a driving perspective, I must say it was very enjoyable and exciting in the simulator," Gasly expressed.

"I got a solid understanding and feel for every wall at each corner, so I know what to do and what to avoid.

"However, I think it's going to be quite challenging, particularly regarding track evolution, likely a lot of changes in grip levels, with some braking zones that are not fully straight, almost snaky, very twisty corners, plenty of blind spots, banking, and undulation throughout."

The Madring's bank corner isn’t linear, flowing into a section with a change of camber

Images and television footage often fail to accurately depict gradients, making the undulations less noticeable to those watching or reading at home. However, the track's flow is going to significantly impact lap times. From the end of the first sector through the second, the circuit presents a highly technical challenge. For example, the second chicane leads onto an uphill slope, requiring drivers to maintain as much speed as possible – but there’s a wall at the exit, compounded by a tricky entry trajectory due to steep kerbs.

"They're not small kerbs, they're significant kerbs, so we'll need to tackle them." Arvid Lindblad

In terms of risk versus reward, it shares similarities with the chicane at the Norisring in Germany, where the fastest route involves brushing against the wall at the exit. However, that chicane lacks the aggressive entry kerbs that could send your car into the wall if your approach isn’t precise.

This is one aspect of the track that drivers will need to quickly adjust to, as the simulations may not have accurately represented the kerbs.

"I think Monaco is more unforgiving," stated Arvid Lindblad. "But yes, this track isn’t very forgiving either. All street circuits nowadays have little margin. This one certainly has very little room for error.

"That's probably the hardest thing to simulate. From offline simulations, as well as the sims we drive, they receive a measurement from the FIA with a photo stating, 'it looks like this, and this is this many centimetres', covering width and length, and so forth.

"But yes, that's the toughest part to recreate. So I would already say from a driving standpoint, this will be a challenge because they're not small kerbs, they're substantial ones, so we’ll need to approach them aggressively."

Oliver Bearman finds some humor in the track layout…

Unlike the banked final corner at Zandvoort, which most drivers hardly consider a turn due to speed limitations imposed by engine power rather than pure grip, 'La Monumental' is grip-dependent. Consequently, there may be some trial and error before drivers settle on an optimal racing line. There could also be some collisions as competitors test the limits of a corner where they will be at full throttle – or very close to it – for over four seconds.

After the F3 test, the track was jet-washed to eliminate the slippery layer that forms when newly laid asphalt cools and some of the bitumen used to bind the aggregate seeps to the surface. Nevertheless, grip levels remain uncertain, and the track will evolve throughout the weekend.

"The tyres are going to be
absolutely screaming."
Alex Albon

It’s also likely that the racing line will change at a different pace, creating situations reminiscent of Miami where the track is extremely slick away from that line – particularly as tyres lose 'marbles' of rubber during practice, qualifying, and the race. This will exacerbate the effects of any inaccuracies, making overtaking challenging as a defending driver can effectively 'park the bus' on the line.

One constant this weekend will be the technical challenge posed by many of the blind corners. Most turns are of the late-apex variety, requiring drivers to commit before they can actually see the apex.

"You’re kind of entering from a blind spot and you need to pick an imaginary point that’s a few hundred meters ahead of you," Alex Albon explained.

"That's really tough to accomplish. It involves a lot of repetition and muscle memory just to get the timing right. Because you essentially can’t see an apex. So you’re relying on your internal body clock and almost imaginary references to determine your apex point for that corner."

Similar to Jeddah, the blind corners will likely lead to some contentious moments during qualifying as drivers on push laps rapidly approach those on in- or out-laps. The demands of the track will also amplify disparities between cars, as those with more efficient downforce will experience enhanced performance from the electrical components of their power units.

Bridges and tunnels create challenges for sight lines – resulting in the outer walls being quite constricted in certain blind-entry areas.

"From a technical standpoint, there are numerous corners on this circuit that will be taken at near 100% throttle," Albon explained.

"For the leading teams, it will likely be a full-throttle experience. Meanwhile, midfield and backfield teams will need to lift more, which significantly impacts deployment. Whether you can navigate a corner at full speed or not dramatically alters how the deployment functions.

"You certainly don’t want to approach qualifying and find that suddenly many corners are manageable at full throttle, causing your deployment to fluctuate unexpectedly. That’s been our observation thus far.

"The technical challenge will be whether you can develop a car that handles well over the curbs from Turn 1 to Turn 5. However, you also need stiffness in the car for Sector 2 and Sector 3, as a stiffer setup provides greater downforce.

"But this may compromise your ability to ride the curbs in Turns 1 and 2. Lastly, the question remains: is it one of those weekends where Q3, Run 2 for the top teams – Q1, Run 3 for us – leads to taking risks over the curbs? Turn 5 and 6 feel as though they require a rhythm, and hopefully, it won’t be too troublesome. Yet, there’s an opportunity to push the limits.

"If you manage to navigate through cleanly, you could gain two or three tenths. If you shy away from that risk, you’ll lose those vital tenths.

"Another observation we’ve made in the simulator is that the tyres are going to be under intense stress."