Carlos Sainz’s first Madring test sparks mixed reactions from Formula 1 fans. Madring divides opinion as Carlos Sainz samples Formula 1’s newest circuit.

Formula 1 fans have now had their first glimpse of Carlos Sainz driving at the Madring, Madrid’s brand-new 5.4-kilometre circuit featuring 22 corners and set to make its debut later this season. While the Spanish driver admitted the layout feels faster than it looks on paper, fan reactions online have been anything but unanimous.

Fans react to the new Madring layout

As expected, Formula 1 fans wasted no time sharing their first impressions of the new Madrid circuit, and opinions have been sharply divided.

“The section with the huge banking is fantastic, in stark contrast to how awful the rest of the track looks,” one fan wrote on Reddit.

Another was even more direct: “Probably one of the ugliest track layouts I’ve ever seen.”

Not everyone shared that view, however. Some fans were far more optimistic about the September debut: “I’m actually really excited. I think the contrast between the urban sections and the purpose-built track will be interesting. And the new circuit looks really wide,” one commenter said.

Another defended the design more strongly: “The track is great, it’s just that people like criticising everything these days.”

Other reactions landed somewhere in the middle: “The first half looks pretty good, but the second half feels fairly mediocre,” one user observed.

And perhaps the most unusual take came from another fan, who joked: “I don’t know how to explain it, but if you rotate the track layout 90 degrees counterclockwise, it suddenly looks much better.”

Waiting for the real verdict

While fan opinion always plays a big role in Formula 1 discussions, it may still be too early to draw firm conclusions about the Madring.

New circuits often face intense scrutiny from the moment they are announced, especially in the social media era, where first impressions can quickly shape the narrative. The real test will only come once the circuit is fully completed and the Formula 1 teams arrive in the Spanish capital for the inaugural Madrid Grand Prix, scheduled for September 11–13.

Only then will fans and experts be able to properly judge the strengths and weaknesses of a circuit that has already become one of the most debated additions to the Formula 1 calendar.