Just a week after Kimi Antonelli’s home success in Monza, Formula One returns for the second half of the double header, as we head to Madrid for the first time since 1981. 45 years after the last Madrid Grand Prix, Formula 1 leaves the circuit of Jarama to inaugurate the brand-new Madring.
Daunting first laps on the Madring
Formula 1 cars are about to hit the streets of Madrid for the first time at 13:30 on Friday for Free Practice One.
Combining public roads and purpose-built sections, the 5.414km hybrid circuit counts 22 turns. The main feature is a 550-metre, 24% banked corner named La Monumental (T12). Pirrelli said the corner is the highest vertical load of the year.
With no running on the circuit except for a tumultuous Formula 3 test at the end of August, the drivers come into this race weekend with no data whatsoever besides simulator practice, leaving a lot to find out in FP1.
During a sim racing stream a couple of days ago, Max Verstappen compared the brand-new track to the Jeddah street circuit. He shared his concerns about a challenging track:
“It’s going to be very difficult. If you do a few laps in a row, it’s always very hard to cross the line and go, ‘Okay, I nailed a lap’. It’s very hard. I think it also has a tendency of maybe creating some big shunts in some places.” – Max Verstappen about the Madring
What to watch out for in FP1
On Friday, all eyes will be on how drivers handle La Monumental to see how soon they stop lifting when approaching the banking. It will also be time to figure out whether the corner offers realistic overtaking opportunities.
The track is said to be challenging after the Formula 3 testing was interrupted by 19 red flags. The weekend is expected to be interrupted by safety cars, red flags and yellow flags.
There are also question marks around track evolution, as new asphalt improves faster than established surfaces. Both Formula 3 and Formula 2 will be hitting the tarmac before the Formula One sessions.
Hadjar still sidelined
Oracle Red Bull Racing announced earlier this week that Isack Hadjar would still be sidelined due to his wrist injury, with no return date announced yet.
The Frenchman will be missing a third race this year, and will be replaced in the RB22 by Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson for the third time in a row. Test and reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda will be stepping into the Racing Bulls seat once more.
Where things stand
Kimi Antonelli is still racing towards the title as he arrives in Madrid off the back of a dream home win from the back of the grid in Monza. The Italian still leads the Drivers’ Championship by 66 points over his teammate George Russell.
Lewis Hamilton sits third in the rankings following a tense and disappointing Italian Grand Prix for Ferrari. The Italian team will be looking to bring more points on the board after Charles Leclerc crashed out on the second lap of last week’s race. He had pushed his teammate off on the first lap.
For McLaren, this weekend will be a test to keep fighting at the top, after a few strong races highlighted by Norris’s back-to-back wins in Hungary and the Netherlands. The Brit just missed out on the podium last weekend, finishing fourth after overtaking his teammate Oscar Piastri on the last lap. Both Mclaren drivers displayed promising pace for the upcoming races.
Alpine will also be looking to reiterate their Monza performance. The Monza upgrades seemed promising as the French team achieved a double points finish. Pierre Gasly managed to snatch the pole position last Saturday.
Your calendar for the next three days
The weekend will kick off on Friday with FP1 at 13:30 and FP2 at 17:00 local time.
On Saturday, FP3 will start at 12:30 before qualifying at 16:00.
Finally on Sunday, the lights will go out at 15:00 local time to unleash the cars for 57 laps on the Madring, with a race distance of 308.399km.