New Madrid F1 circuit revealed: amid criticism, a former Ferrari driver gives his verdict. Carlos Sainz Evaluates New Madrid Track After Official Reveal.

Formula 1 is preparing to land in a new city. From next year, there will be two Grands Prix on Spanish soil. Alongside the now historic Barcelona track, another is being created, a street circuit in the capital. Today, the organizers released a full onboard lap of the Madrid circuit: among the many criticisms received, here is Carlos Sainz’s assessment.

Stefano Domenicali’s circus is discovering more and more new countries season after season, ready to welcome Formula 1 with open arms. What angers many longtime fans is that these new circuits, often street circuits where the spectacle risks being reduced, tend to replace historic ones. Among them, Imola, which risks disappearing from the calendar, and Spa.

The organizers of the Madrid Grand Prix, through their social media profiles, are unveiling day by day all the corners of the circuit, which will measure 5.47 km. Among the most iconic will be Turn 12, renamed “Monumental”: 547.82 meters long, 12 meters wide, and with a banking of over 24%. For comparison, the Zandvoort banking reaches 18%.

Today, Carlos Sainz, who has signed an agreement to become the ambassador of the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, shared his opinion on the new track. “Many drivers have asked me for information about the corners and the layout of the new circuit. I told them not to worry: I will try to do my best to make it very beautiful.”

“What I ask for, as a Formula 1 driver with charisma and character, is that it has ‘unique’ corners that make it different from all the others. There are circuits like Baku that do not have iconic corners, except for the castle section. It still has very long straights, there are overtakes, and it is always spectacular.”

“What I ask of the Madring,” continues Carlos Sainz, “is that it is hybrid: a city section with walls very close and another part more similar to the traditional European circuits, which is what we drivers appreciate.”

So what is his verdict? “The final part, the bankings, and the sequences of fast corners are things we all really like. In Madrid, we find both. Everything that will be around, the concerts and all the initiatives, will be a huge help for the city. I think we can have the best circuit in the world and the best event of the entire calendar.”