Carlos Sainz: MadRing reminds me a lot of Spa and Silverstone because they are super-fast

The Williams driver sampled the 5.4-kilometre track in a Mustang V8 sports car, becoming the first to drive the newly laid out 22-corner circuit that will host Formula 1 on 11-13 September, 2026.

Sainz said the track’s headline feature, the 540-metre La Monumental banking with a 24% gradient, had surprised him: “I thought La Monumental just had the banked corner and that was it, but now I suddenly see that it not only has a banked corner, but it’s also blind. It’s quite a combination, all you can see is the sky… from Madrid to the sky.”

The Spaniard highlighted Turn 1 as a likely overtaking hotspot: “I really like this first part; you’ll see how we battle with the car here."

Sainz also pointed to the 837-metre straight after Turn 3 as one of the circuit’s defining sections: “Here we’ll be reaching speeds of 320, 330 kilometres per hour; we’ll have to be very strategic with battery management."

The Madrid-born driver praised the fast-flowing second sector and compared the Valdebebas linked corners between Turns 13 and 17 to some of Formula 1’s classic layouts: “This is amazing. This is where we’ll enjoy Formula 1 at its best. It reminds me a lot of Spa and Silverstone because they are super-fast corners.”

Sainz said La Monumental remained the section that stood out most during the lap: “This is what has impressed me the most."

The circuit also features two tunnels and several heavy braking zones, including the final Turn 22, which Sainz said “is going to be a key overtaking point, and it’s faster than it looks."

Track organisers said construction remained on schedule and that the circuit would be handed over to the FIA on May 31 as Madrid prepares to join the Formula 1 calendar next season.