Formula 1 is preparing to race at Madring for the first time, but Ferrari will arrive in Madrid with one small advantage over the rest of the grid: Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have already driven the new Spanish Grand Prix circuit in an F1 car.
The hybrid street track makes its championship debut on the weekend of 13 September as part of the 2026 Formula 1 calendar. From its imposing La Monumental corner to Ferrari’s filming day, unusual spectator regulations and a new cashless payment system, Madring introduces several distinctive elements to the F1 schedule.
1. La Monumental gives the Madring F1 circuit its signature corner
Turn 12 is expected to become one of the defining images of Formula 1’s new Madrid venue. Known as La Monumental, the corner stretches for 547.82 metres and features a steep 24-degree incline, creating a long and unusual challenge for drivers.
Its combination of length and gradient means precision will be particularly important as competitors discover how to approach the section at Formula 1 speeds. The corner has been conceived as one of the most recognisable features of Madring and should immediately distinguish the Madrid layout from other circuits on the championship calendar.
La Monumental has already become a major talking point in the build-up to the weekend, with its unusual geometry forming part of the wider discussion around the characteristics of the new Spanish Grand Prix circuit.
2. Madring is located close to Madrid airport and city centre
The location of the circuit is another important part of the Madring project. The track has been created around the IFEMA fairgrounds area and sits approximately five minutes from Madrid’s airport.
According to the circuit’s official information, spectators can reach the venue by several forms of public transport, including metro, bus and train, while taxi services provide another option. The centre of Madrid is also relatively close.
That level of access is intended to make Madring one of the better-connected venues on the Formula 1 calendar, particularly compared with permanent circuits located farther from major urban centres.
3. Ferrari has already completed a filming day at Madring
The most intriguing competitive detail involves Ferrari. The Maranello team is the only Formula 1 operation to have already completed running at Madring, having selected the future Spanish Grand Prix venue for a filming day in July.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc both drove the SF-26 around the new circuit. Teams had 200 kilometres available for the commercial filming activity, giving Ferrari’s two race drivers an initial opportunity to experience the layout before the official Grand Prix weekend.
The running was a filming day rather than conventional unrestricted testing, but it nevertheless allowed Hamilton and Leclerc to encounter the circuit from the cockpit of a Formula 1 car before their rivals.
Stefano Domenicali has since discussed the impressions gathered by the two Ferrari drivers, particularly around La Monumental, after Hamilton and Leclerc sampled the Madrid layout.
4. Carlos Sainz was the first current F1 driver to lap Madring
Ferrari’s drivers are not the only members of the current Formula 1 field with experience of the new venue. Carlos Sainz has also completed laps at Madring and holds a particularly close connection to the project as an ambassador for the circuit.
The Williams driver was the first to complete a lap of the new track, although he did so in a road car rather than his number 55 Formula 1 machine.
That means Hamilton, Leclerc and Sainz are the only current F1 drivers identified as having driven laps of Madring before the Grand Prix weekend. Of those three, however, only the two Ferrari drivers have experienced the circuit in Formula 1 machinery.
5. Formula 3 provided Madring’s first major motorsport running
Before Formula 1’s arrival, Madring hosted two days of Formula 3 testing as its first motorsport event. Thirty drivers participated, giving teams an opportunity to evaluate car behaviour while the circuit’s operational systems were also put through their first significant test.
The Formula 3 running provided an important practical rehearsal for the new venue. Unlike the Ferrari filming day, which centred on the Scuderia’s commercial running, the two-day test brought a much larger field of single-seaters onto the circuit at the same time.
6. Madring introduces MAD-COINS for cashless purchases
Spectators will also encounter a new payment system inside the Madrid venue. Madring has introduced MAD-COINS, a wristband-based cashless system designed for purchases during the race weekend.
Fans can obtain the wristband in advance and use it when purchasing food or merchandise inside the circuit, removing the need to make individual transactions using cash or conventional bank cards.
The system forms part of the spectator experience being introduced for Madring’s inaugural Formula 1 event and is intended to make transactions around the venue quicker and easier.
5+1. Fans cannot bring their own food into Madring
One of the more unusual elements of Madring’s spectator regulations concerns what visitors are permitted to take through the circuit gates. According to the published access rules, outside food is prohibited.
That means spectators cannot arrive with their own meals and will instead need to purchase food inside the venue. The rule is particularly significant during a Formula 1 weekend, when fans can spend many hours within the circuit complex.
Drinks are treated differently rather than being subject to the same blanket restriction. Plastic bottles are allowed up to a capacity of 500 ml, while alcoholic beverages cannot be brought inside.
Ferrari begins Madrid weekend with rare early knowledge
All 20 Formula 1 drivers will still face the challenge of adapting to a circuit that has never previously hosted a Grand Prix, but Ferrari enters the weekend in an unusual position. Hamilton and Leclerc have at least experienced the layout from inside the SF-26, while the rest of the field will largely begin building its real-world knowledge when official running starts.
That does not remove the need for Ferrari to learn rapidly once the competitive sessions begin. Track conditions, tyres, car set-up and the demands of running at full Grand Prix pace will create a very different environment from a filming day.
Even so, the July outing gives the Scuderia a distinctive connection to Formula 1’s newest venue. Combined with La Monumental, the accessible urban location, previous Formula 3 running, MAD-COINS and the unusual food regulations, it is one of several details that make the first Madring weekend different from a conventional stop on the calendar.
Leave a Reply