Ferrari laps MADRING for the first time build-up to inaugural Madrid-hosted Spanish Grand Prix

The running came during a Scuderia Ferrari HP filming day, giving organisers a valuable opportunity to test circuit operations, infrastructure and event procedures under real working conditions before the venue’s FIA Formula 1  World Championship debut.

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc completed the FIA-regulated promotional event in Ferrari’s SF-26. Under the rules, teams are allowed to run up to 200 kilometres in total during such events, with a maximum of 100 kilometres per driver on dedicated Pirelli demonstration tyres.

The session marked the first time a Formula 1 car had driven on the Madrid circuit. It also moved preparations forward for the inaugural Grand Prix weekend, scheduled for 11–13 September.

While the first Formula 1 laps carried obvious symbolic value, the bigger purpose was operational. The day allowed MADRING to validate the systems required to host a full Grand Prix weekend.

Ferrari operated with personnel and equipment representative of a race weekend operation. That gave organisers a realistic test of coordination, logistics and circuit infrastructure ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.

The Scuderia’s presence also created conditions close to those MADRING will face when the full Formula 1 paddock arrives in September. For a new venue, that kind of live test is a major step.

The focus was not only on the track itself. The running also helped test communication between teams, circuit staff and operational departments responsible for delivering the event.

MADRING is now moving deeper into the final phase of its Grand Prix preparations. The Ferrari filming day was one of the last major operational milestones before Formula 1’s arrival in Madrid.

For the organisers, the session offered proof of concept. The circuit, its infrastructure and its operational teams were tested with a real Formula 1 car, real team equipment and live running conditions.

That matters because Madrid’s first Grand Prix will bring the demands of a full FIA Formula One World Championship event. Every process, from track operations to team coordination, must be ready before the opening practice session.

Today’s Ferrari running therefore served a dual purpose. It delivered MADRING’s first Formula 1 laps, while also giving the venue an important working rehearsal before September.

With Hamilton and Leclerc sharing duties in the SF-26, MADRING took another visible step towards its debut. The next one will be much bigger, when the full Formula 1 grid arrives for the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid.