The Madring F1 circuit is the major new addition to the 2026 Formula 1 calendar, and the venue built around Madrid’s exhibition centre has been deliberately designed to offer something very different. Its most spectacular feature is Monumental, a banked corner more than half a kilometre long that Pirelli considers the most demanding turn of the championship for the tyres. After driving the circuit during Ferrari’s July filming day, Charles Leclerc told the organisers that tackling the section properly would require “great courage”.
Luis Garcia Abad, managing director of Madring, has explained the thinking behind the new Madrid Formula 1 circuit, revealing details of its elevation changes, high-speed sections, overtaking opportunities and the unusual challenges created by Monumental. He also discussed Ferrari’s early running at the venue, the feedback received from Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, and the preparations being made before the circuit hosts the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix.
Madring F1 circuit combines permanent sections with roads through Madrid
The defining feature of Madring is its hybrid nature. The organisers do not want it described simply as a street circuit, preferring the idea of a genuine “circuit in the city”. Some sections have been designed and constructed from scratch and will remain permanent, while others make use of existing urban infrastructure around Madrid’s exhibition centre.
The result is a layout with two distinct personalities. The designers deliberately tried to give the circuit a strong identity from its first year, including significant elevation changes through the opening two sectors. Some of those changes in height were created artificially using earth removed during the construction work itself, helping to reduce costs on what is a privately financed project.
Its most recognisable section, however, is unquestionably Monumental. Pirelli has described it as the most demanding corner of the championship for the tyres because of its length of more than 500 metres and its 24% banking, which is even greater than at Zandvoort. According to the Italian tyre manufacturer’s simulations, the energy involved could be between 20% and 30% higher than the reference value.
Motorsport.com spoke exclusively with Luis Garcia Abad, one of the figures who, together with his team, helped shape the Madring project.
Q: “Madring is the big new addition to the 2026 calendar. Can you talk us through the circuit?”
“It is a circuit that makes a virtue of necessity. It is a very large area; we are talking about 1,500,000 square metres. We have to cross a motorway and this is the final result. We have what is almost a straight more than a kilometre long, then a major compression because there is an uphill section with an 8.5% gradient, followed by a blind chicane with a 5% gradient.
“There is a very fast section leading to Monumental, which is a frighteningly big corner. We are talking about more than half a kilometre with 24% banking. We carried out water-blasting to find the grip we need and that changes things enormously. When Ferrari came here for the filming day, Charles Leclerc told me that it will take real courage through that section because there is a lot of time to gain there.
“After Monumental, we reach Turn 13, a left-hander that is a clear overtaking point. Then there will be a very fast section with two extremely quick corners, followed by an incredible braking zone at Turn 17 before going through the tunnel, which we will have to illuminate.
“Then we reach another fast section before Turn 19, which is another overtaking opportunity. That is the area that feels more like a street circuit because we have two slow corners before reaching the starting grid. Turns 1 and 2 are also extremely interesting because Turn 1 has negative camber and, on the exit of Turn 2, you need to find good traction for the long straight leading to Turn 5.
“It is a layout that makes a virtue of necessity. It has a hybrid character because we have 1.4 kilometres of an urban road, but it is an urban road where nobody lives because we are the only people who work on it. Then we arrive at an almost permanent circuit, with a layout designed specifically in that way, where there are some very fast sections and corners where a driver can gain a lot of time.”
Why Madring was designed as a ‘circuit in the city’
Q: “How many layouts did you study before arriving at the final configuration? As you rightly stressed, this is not a street circuit but a semi-permanent circuit in the city, which also gave you more freedom with the design.”
“I will tell you the truth. I think it is very important to try to put on a show for the public. Building a circuit in a city is very difficult from the point of view of noise restrictions, licences and other aspects, so we worked very hard to find the best possible way to achieve it.
“The decision to create a circuit around an international exhibition centre was also made to control costs and take advantage of infrastructure that already exists, because we already have electricity, the metro and the train.
“The first time I walked around the route, I wanted to fully understand all the possibilities we had around us and assess the feasibility of certain decisions. In the end, we wanted to give the circuit character. Drivers like tracks with lots of elevation changes and they like circuits with difficult corners. From a driving point of view, I think this track will be a genuine challenge for the drivers and it will not be easy.”
How Monumental became the signature corner of the Madring F1 circuit
Q: “That is an interesting point. You have always said you wanted to give this circuit character and make it iconic. Beyond the elevation changes and Monumental, what did you try to do to make this an event that could be remembered as an iconic stop on the calendar?”
“Monumental, for example, is a corner we created deliberately. Just think that, to find that extra 1% [of banking], I got on a plane and went to Melbourne to speak with the FIA. We wanted something that could reflect the image of Madrid and the image of a Grand Prix, something that could remain iconic.
“If you think about Eau Rouge at Spa or the stadium in Mexico, they are all sections that people remember. When you see them on television, you know exactly where you are. There is no doubt. I think we have managed to find something similar for Madrid as well, and it is not only Monumental.
“For example, the compression from Turn 6 to Turn 7 is tremendous. After the filming day, Lewis Hamilton told me it was a very strong compression because there is an 8.5% climb. It is demanding from a physical point of view as well.
“It is a fast circuit, an extremely fast circuit, but what would really make me happy is for the driver to get out of the car feeling happy after a qualifying lap and to have enjoyed himself. I have heard drivers speak after qualifying many times without saying anything in particular.
“I would like the drivers to experience the emotions they feel at Monaco or Spa, when a driver says he managed to find something more, that he found that extra millimetre, or that there is a lot of grip in a particular area. That is what we want. That is when it becomes fun.”
Q: “Let us stay with Monumental for a moment. Looking at the first laps Ferrari completed a few weeks ago, the exit appears completely blind, as you designed it, which adds another level of complexity. Beyond the banking, where did the idea for such a demanding corner come from?”
“The idea came from the fact that we had to respect the urban development plan for the area. We had two points that needed to be connected somehow and we also had a tunnel positioned at a certain height.
“When you look at something on a plan, you never really know what it will be like. But before the asphalt was laid, when the earthworks were already in place and we could see what it was actually going to look like, we said to ourselves that perhaps the final design would become even more than we had imagined on paper.
“But the result is beautiful. It will be a corner that people talk about, like Turn 8 in Turkey. Those are corners with a special character, and a Grand Prix needs to have something like that.”
Q: “Pirelli has said this will be the corner that puts the greatest forces of the entire season through the tyres, confirming how demanding it will be because of its 24% banking. You mentioned travelling to Melbourne to obtain that extra 1% of banking. Was it difficult to get FIA and FOM approval for such an extreme section? The original idea was also to have a straight before Monumental, but because the cars would have arrived too quickly, it became necessary to add a chicane.”
“It was an objective. I was asking for the maximum. I wanted a long corner with the greatest amount of banking acceptable to the FIA and FOM, but we never really had a problem.
“The point is that we always wanted a little bit more. They tell you 23%, but perhaps it can be a little bit more. In the end, it is about finding the right way and we think we have done a good job. In the end, everybody is happy.
“When I was here with Stefano Domenicali a few weeks ago, he told me it was a fantastic big corner. When you are in the car, it is incredible.”
Ferrari’s early experience of the venue has already provided Formula 1 with a first indication of how drivers perceive the unusual layout, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton’s Madring impressions becoming particularly significant ahead of the circuit’s first Grand Prix.
Why the new Madrid circuit could suit the 2026 F1 regulations
Q: “We know how important battery management is this year. Although this is a fast circuit, there are actually many slow sections and several braking zones where the battery can be recharged, so it should still suit these regulations quite well.”
“We think so. We believe it will be a circuit that suits this year’s regulations very well and we also think that will be true in the future. It is a versatile circuit and it has character. It is not simply one long straight where you try to find a lot of speed. It will undoubtedly be a challenge for both the drivers and the teams.”
Ferrari filming day gave Madring an early Formula 1 test
Q: “Before the Grand Prix in September, you have secured a test with Formula 3 cars that will give you the opportunity to check that all the systems are working. There was also a test with Ferrari in July. How did that opportunity come about, and how useful was it in understanding and verifying that everything was working as expected?”
“Extremely useful. We did not want to take any risks from a sporting point of view. We had contacts with Formula 4 about carrying out some tests, but for us that was not enough. Not from a speed point of view, because all the cars are extremely fast, but it was more about making sure the plans worked from an electronics perspective, checking the environmental impact and other things.
“So a Formula 3 car is also a car that falls within the licence we have for the Grand Prix.
“As far as Ferrari is concerned, I worked with them for five years, so arranging this filming day was not difficult. Ferrari, as always, were extremely kind. The problem was that Ferrari could not do the filming day two months before the Grand Prix, while we needed to complete all the necessary work.
“In the end, we managed to find a window at the beginning of July and took advantage of it, making the most of the opportunity and also enjoying the company of many friends.
“Formula 3 is different. We also spoke about it with Bruno Michel, CEO of Formula 2 and Formula 3. I think Formula 3 is the right choice. There are quick, talented young drivers and there will be lots of cars on track for two days.
“From a technical point of view, it is effectively like a small Grand Prix, so you have safety, rescue services and medical services. It gives us the opportunity to check everything and make certain that everything surrounding a Grand Prix from a technical perspective is ready for that day.”
Charles Leclerc’s verdict after Ferrari’s first Madring laps
Q: “Clearly, the asphalt had only just been completed and it will improve before the Grand Prix. But what did the Ferrari drivers tell you after completing their first laps at Madring?”
“We had finished the asphalt about a week before Ferrari arrived here to run, so in terms of grip the circuit was still a long way from what it will be like for the Grand Prix.
“But in terms of flow, Charles Leclerc liked the circuit enormously and found it very enjoyable. I really think he liked it a lot because this is a track where the driver can make the difference.
“It is not simply about braking or accelerating. There are 22 corners where you can do something to make a difference. There are opportunities to gain time if the driver is able to make the difference.”
Madring could evolve with red asphalt and an indoor section
Q: “Looking to the future, this is obviously the circuit’s first year, but there has been talk of using red asphalt and even taking the track inside the exhibition centre, similar to Formula E in London, where there is an indoor and an outdoor section. Is that something you are still considering for the future?”
“For the first year, the advice was not to take too many risks. And that is important advice because it is not easy. This is something incredible. I worked in Formula 1 for 20 years, but creating this circuit is something different.
“There are so many things that have to be followed and checked, and it is not that simple. But we have the major advantage of being in an exhibition-centre area and being in the city, and that allows us to do many things.
“We can make some changes, but first we want to gain some experience. There is currently nothing in the FIA regulations concerning the colour of the asphalt, so it could be done. Perhaps Monumental could have this red asphalt.
“For the first year, we decided not to take too many risks and to do it this way. Then we will see what we can do.
“As for going inside the exhibition centre, the design exists and we would not need to do very much. It would be very simple to do it between Turn 19 and Turn 20. It is not as though we would have to redesign everything. But everybody has to agree.
“In the end, this is a Grand Prix that can do many different things. We have many projects because ultimately this is like a film set. You can do many things, just as we are used to doing many different things every day in life.
“We can do it, but for the moment we preferred to do it this way. The truth is that there are some changes I would like to make. The advantage is that we have to dismantle the circuit every year anyway, so we can play around with it.”
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