‘Going to go very wrong’: F1 drivers on alert over new ‘track that kills cars’

For the first time since 2023, Formula 1 is heading to an entirely new circuit.

Purpose built on the outskirts of Madrid, Madring is the latest beast F1 drivers must tame. But they might be bested by what is quickly earning a reputation as a car-killer.

Madring will debut over the weekend. Clive Rose

Williams team principal James Vowles’ recent comments hardly inspire confidence for fans who have been sceptical of the new Spanish Grand Prix.

Speaking to a Spanish media outlet, Vowles highlighted the sheer carnage the paddock witnessed during a recent junior category test.

“In the Formula 3 test there were 19 red flags and three broken chassis, broken suspensions,” Vowles said to Sport.

“OK, they’re Formula 3 drivers, but it’s a track that kills cars.”

Of those 19 red flags in the F3 test, 11 were caused by drivers hitting the barriers.

The unforgiving street circuit layout is already drawing comparisons to wall-lined challenges like Jeddah or Bahrain - some of the sport’s toughest weekends.

Spain’s standout driver, Williams’ Carlos Sainz, has been heavily promoting the track in its debut year. He believes the 22-corner circuit will be defined by its signature centrepiece: turn 12 called La Monumental.

As the longest banked corner in F1’s championship history, it promises to be a true test of mettle.

“It is probably the most severe turn in the championship,” said Simone Berra, Pirelli’s chief F1 tyre engineer.

“It is probably more challenging than I thought,” Sainz echoed before the weekend.

“I thought it would be a flat out, easy flat-out corner and just like an acceleration corner.

“It’s turned out to be much more challenging, at least in the simulator in a good way. With all that banking, all that control of the car through there, it will be a big challenge.”

The F3 test exposed how quickly minor errors can become incredibly expensive for teams, particularly through the high-speed chicanes that have easily spit cars into the wall.

“There were several contacts with the walls and they were all pretty hard, so hopefully we will have cleaner sessions when we have Formula 1 running there,” said McLaren team principal Andrea Stella on the F1 website.

Several drivers have weighed in on the risks, including four-time world champion Max Verstappen, who expressed reservations about both the danger and the raceability of the track.

Madring’s debut is set to be a ‘big challenge’. Mark Thompson

“It seems like there are spots that tend to cause big crashes. It’s a bit…how should I put it, it reminds me a little of Jeddah. In the way that the fast corners and the walls are super close,” Verstappen said.

“What I already feel a bit disappointed about is that many of the braking zones are a bit…angled in a way that makes overtaking really hard because you have to brake, while simultaneously turning the steering wheel to the right or left.

“That’s the worst condition for creating an overtaking opportunity.”

Aussie Oscar Piastri also gave a blunt assessment of the new layout.

“There’s a lot of places where if it goes wrong it’s going to go very wrong,” he said.

The McLaren driver currently sits in seventh in the drivers’ championship, 151 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli.

The new Spanish Grand Prix will be this weekend, starting with practice on Friday night and the main race on Sunday night (AEST).