Carlos Sainz gives his views on Madrid F1 track layout
Carlos Sainz visited the track this week and was happy with what he saw.
Williams driver Carlos Sainz says the upcoming Formula 1 track in Madrid has the character of both a street circuit and a traditional European venue.
Sainz made that comment during a presentation in the Spanish capital on Friday, as construction work for the track began ahead of its inaugural race in 2026.
A major part of the track runs around the IFEMA exhibition centre, but the circuit also utilities nearby public roads, giving it a hybrid feel akin to Miami Autodrome.
Perhaps the most striking feature of the track is a 550-metre banked section, named the Monumental, with the slope angled at 24%.
"The drivers have asked me about the circuit, the corners, the layout. I've told them not to worry, that I'm going to try to help as much as possible to make the circuit a good show," said the Spaniard, who has been named an ambassador for Madring.
"What I ask of an F1 circuit as a driver is that it has charisma and character, that it has a lot of corners that make it different.
“There are circuits like Baku, which has no major corners beyond the castle section, but it has character, because it's very long straights, there's a lot of overtaking, it's spectacular.
"There is Jeddah, which is all fast corners and also spectacular. They're all urban circuits, but they've managed to have character.
“And what I ask of Madring and what we are achieving is that it has that character between being a hybrid circuit, with an urban area with the walls very close and then that more open part, more like a traditional European circuit, which is what we drivers like the most.
"The final part, the banked corners and fast corner sequences. It's more what we like and what we see at the traditional European circuits. And this circuit has both, it has the open area and the more closed area of the walls."
Madrid will become the host of the Spanish Grand Prix in 2026, although Barcelona will stay on the calendar for at least next year under a different name.
Sainz is confident that the new-look Spanish GP at Madrid has all the ingredients to become a successful event.
"Everything that will be around it, all the concerts and all the activations will help the city a lot," he argued. "I think we can have the best circuit in the world and the best event of the whole calendar.
"There are going to be 24 races, and Mexico, Miami and Las Vegas are doing very well, but I sincerely believe that Madrid can beat them, and we are going to go for it."
