The Formula 1 edit

Article by Lucy Do

It’s race week again in Spain, and the newly named Spanish Grand Prix will be a weekend full of firsts. Official home race to 2x World Champion Fernando Alonso and Williams’ driver Carlos Sainz, this track is located in Spain’s capital, Madrid. The Circuito de Madring is an all-new track, giving drivers and teams very little to work with as they prep for race day. The circuit has received some mixed reviews, with many of the public’s concerns deriving from previous rumors that the track would not be ready to host this race weekend, an overly eventful two-day F3 test, and descriptions of the track as “unforgiving” and “mental”. The F3 test that sparked worry saw 19 red flags, 3 broken chassis, and 6 broken suspensions, which is far from typical for any circuit. James Vowles, Williams’ Team Principal, called the Madring “a car-wreaking track” after the F3 testing wrapped.

It’s a track with banking, fast straights, and aggressive corners, so before the green flag waves and the lights go out, let’s look at what can be expected of the track and what strategies the teams are looking at.

Rain or Shine

On this race weekend with the typical layout of free practices, qualifying, and the race, conditions are expected to be clear of rain with warm temperatures across the weekend. On Sunday, the sun should be shining the entire race, with continued conditions of clear skies and calm winds and a temperature of about 31 degrees Celsius (87 degrees Fahrenheit). To the relief of teams and drivers, this weekend has no heat hazard issue thanks to lower air temperatures unlike last weekend in Monza, so no extra cooling systems will need to be fitted into the cars.

Track Walk

Before we go racing, let’s take a track walk to get a feel for a lap at this brand-new circuit.

The lap begins down the start/finish straight with a short run to Turn 1, which is
sure to see plenty of action the moment the lights go out. Turn 1 appears to be almost a
90° left turn immediately into Turn 2, which is a 90° right hander. Turn 3, named
Hortaleza, is a longer right turn that takes drivers to the longest straight on the circuit.

Through this straight, drivers should be able to go flat out through the next right hander
that is Turn 4. A harsh braking zone into the quick Turns 5, 5A, and 6 comes before
going through the tunnel dubbed the Autopista. Subida de las Cárcavas allows drivers
to meet the first true elevation change of 8% before Turn 8, El Búnker, shows off a “blind
apex”, which is followed by an exit directly into Turn 9. Drivers then encounter the long,
winding La Chicane (I wonder where that name came from?), before facing the most
daunting turn of the circuit, La Monumental. Turn 11 guides drivers into this 550m right
turn that reaches a gradient of 24% percent (13.5° of banking!) and encourages drivers
to test out multiple racing lines. At the end of this turn, Turn 12, there is another heavy
braking zone that hits before the left hander Turn 13. Las Enlazadas de Valdebebas
consists of Turns 14, 15, and 16, more flowing corners that drivers should be able to
take flat out. Turn 17 begins with yet another harsh braking zone into this right hander,
where drivers will go through the circuit’s second tunnel upon exit. Norte, Turn 18, is a
smooth left hander that leads into Turn 19, which introduces the section that is most like
Monaco with its close walls and slow turns. This technical portion includes Turns 20,
20A, and 21, before the final corner, El Parque (Turn 22), a right hander that leads back
onto the start/finish straight.
Many have noted that the walls and corners are tight and close like Monaco, with turns
that are difficult to see past like Jeddah. McLaren driver Lando Norris pointed out that
they have “a lot of blind corners. a lot of the corners you cannot see around, so it’s
difficult to predict things. This just makes it always a bigger challenge inside the cockpit
of a car- the fact you cannot see more than 50% of a corner at the end of one time.”

Track Talk

The Madring is a 5.414km track with a total race distance of 308.399km across
57 laps and 22 daunting turns (5A and 20A are subturns). There are two designated
Straight Mode zones between Turn 3 and Turn 4, as well as one as the start/finish
straight. Overtake Detection and Overtake activation are before and after the final
corner, Turn 22, respectively. The circuit is a mix of public roads and portions built
specifically for the track and will be one of the most demanding tracks this season
energy-wise. La Monumental, perhaps the most advertised corner of the track, will
subject the cars to the highest vertical load on the calendar due to its length and
banking. Drivers will have very little mentally to go off of as they prep for the race,
seeing as their only points of reference are driving in the simulators and as McLaren
driver Oscar Piastri pointed out in a recent video with McLaren, footage from the F1
game of the Madring. For teams and driver, the best learning that can be done is by
doing, so only after this weekend will we truly get a feel for the track.

Tyres

Pirelli has made their choice from the five tyre compound roster for the weekend,
and the picks are as follows: C4 as the soft, C3 as the medium, and C2 as the hard.
These three picks are right in the middle of the compound roster, not using the grippiest
C5 and the hardest C1. There is a pit stop time loss of about 25 seconds to be
expected, which is always something the teams must take careful account for.
Considering the aggressiveness of the track, teams may opt for the softs to start the
race to obtain the best grip possible, but they may also opt for the hards to start in order
to withstand the harsh braking that appears all over this circuit. The newness of the
circuit could also lead to teams opting to start on mediums, not choosing to pick an
extreme as they still discover the circuit.

A new track, a new city, and new records to be set, it is all eyes on Madrid this
weekend with plenty to be excited about. Everything is left to be discovered, and
durability seems to be a big focus points for the teams this weekend, so enjoy history
being made right before your eyes. Feliz semana de carrera!