Ferrari has become the first current Formula 1 team to run on Madrid’s brand-new circuit. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton took the SF-26 out on the Madring during an FIA-approved filming day, marking a symbolic milestone for the venue that will host the new Spanish Grand Prix in 2026.
Officially, the event was dedicated to promotional filming, with teams restricted to Pirelli demonstration tyres and a maximum distance of 200 kilometres. However, despite those limitations, the outing carried significant strategic value, giving Ferrari its first real-world experience of Formula 1’s newest circuit before any of its rivals.
Ferrari’s first laps reveal a circuit still under construction
Images from the track quickly spread across social media, highlighting the unique nature of the Madring. The Ferrari SF-26 was seen running on a fully completed ribbon of asphalt, complete with kerbs, barriers and safety installations already in place. Yet just metres away, excavators, construction vehicles, piles of earth and unfinished sections of infrastructure remained clearly visible.
In several areas, the circuit even runs alongside everyday urban features such as public roads, traffic signs and petrol stations. Rather than exposing a problem, these scenes perfectly illustrate the identity of the Madring as a semi-permanent street circuit built within the city itself.
Construction work is continuing as organisers prepare for Formula 1’s arrival, with the circuit set to make its championship debut during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend on September 13.
Why Ferrari is already running at the Madring
Ferrari’s outing in Madrid was not a private test session. Under FIA regulations, filming days are strictly limited to commercial and promotional activities, with reduced mileage, non-racing tyres and highly restricted technical programmes.
Even so, completing laps on a completely new circuit can provide valuable information. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were able to build their first genuine references for the layout, including track width, visibility, braking points, kerb profiles, elevation changes and the overall characteristics of the new asphalt.
For Ferrari’s engineers, the session also provides an important opportunity to compare simulator data with real-world conditions ahead of the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at Madrid, allowing them to validate some of the work already completed in Maranello.
The fact that construction is still visible around the circuit does not mean the track itself is not operational. Instead, it simply reflects that while the racing surface is already complete and safe to use, the surrounding facilities, spectator areas and Formula 1 event infrastructure are still being finished ahead of the venue’s official debut.
Madrid’s new Formula 1 circuit combines city streets with permanent features
The Madring has been designed to offer something different from a traditional permanent racing circuit. Built around the IFEMA exhibition complex, it combines semi-permanent sections with urban roads, featuring high-speed straights, more technical corners and a spectacular banked turn that is expected to become one of the circuit’s defining landmarks.
Even Carlos Sainz‘s recent demonstration lap in a road car was intended to showcase this concept, highlighting a venue designed to integrate seamlessly into the city rather than exist as an isolated motorsport facility.
That is precisely why the images of the Ferrari SF-26 running between safety barriers, construction sites and everyday urban infrastructure have attracted so much attention. They capture a unique moment in Formula 1 history, as a brand-new Grand Prix circuit gradually comes to life.
Madrid may not yet be fully transformed into its final Formula 1 configuration, but it already has its first true benchmark: a Ferrari SF-26 circulating the new circuit with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton behind the wheel, becoming the first current Formula 1 car to do so.
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