Carlos Sainz completed the first full lap of Madrid’s new 3.35-mile (5.4 km) Madring in a 450 bhp Ford Mustang GT prepared for Williams and offered a stark early verdict. He said the layout was “far more extreme than anyone had expected,” called it technical and faster than it looks, likened parts to a “roller coaster,” and suggested a signature turn could become one of the most iconic corners in the sport. He described the mix of elements as “quite a cocktail.”

Sainz highlighted how the circuit combines blind corners, steep elevation changes and high speeds, and said those characteristics should reward aggressive racing and clever energy management. He pointed to the Turn 1-2 chicane and Turn 13 as overtaking opportunities, a long acceleration zone toward Turn 5-6 where battery deployment could be a tactical weapon, and a high-speed section beyond Turn 9. He praised the flowing, wide Valdebebas esses and compared them to Spa and Silverstone.

He singled out “La Monumental,” the Turn 12 bullring-shaped banking with a 24% gradient and a partially blind entry, and said he expected many drivers to take it flat-out. He warned the tight 117-degree Turn 20 beneath the motorway could surprise drivers and described a dramatic elevation into a blind, heavy-braking Turn 8 that he “really enjoyed.” The 5.4 km, 22-turn layout sits at IFEMA near Madrid’s Barajas airport, with fresh asphalt laid around the fairgrounds and a purpose-built second half still under construction. An FIA inspection is scheduled at the end of the month as teams prepare F1 machinery. Organizers have secured Madrid to host the Spanish Grand Prix from 2026 through 2035 and plan a race at Madring in early September, with Barcelona-Catalunya to remain part of a rotational arrangement for the national round. Preparations at the venue are being ramped up ahead of the inspection and any competitive activity.