Madrid’s new Madring circuit makes final preparations for Sunday’s F1 debut

Madrid’s new Madring circuit is entering the final stage of preparations before hosting its first Formula One race next Sunday. The semi-urban track, built around the capital’s IFEMA exhibition center, will host the Spanish Grand Prix for the first time in Madrid in 45 years.

The event will be the 14th round of the season. Kimi Andrea Antonelli, the 20-year-old Mercedes driver, arrives as the championship leader after winning his seventh Formula One race of the year at Monza, where he recovered 18 places. The race could eventually make him the youngest champion in Formula One history.

The Madring measures 5,419 meters and combines high-speed sections, heavy braking zones, elevation changes, technical areas and long, high-load corners. Its 22 turns include the Monumental, a 550-meter section named as a reference to Madrid’s bullring. It has a maximum gradient of 24 percent and takes about six seconds to complete.

The Monumental is longer than the 523-meter start-finish straight. Organizers expect a fastest lap of just over 90 seconds, top speeds above 335 kph and an average speed of about 212 kph. Practice begins on Friday, providing the first indications of how the new circuit will perform.

The race will use the medium range of tire compounds, from the hard C2 to the medium C3 and soft C4. The Madring is initially expected to host the next nine Spanish Grands Prix as well.