Carlos Sainz completes his first laps on the Madring: "It was honestly impressive."

The last time the Formula 1 went to Madrid in 1981, to the Jarama circuit, 30 kilometers north of the Spanish capital. In 2026, 45 years later, the premier category of the car It returns — but this time in the very heart of the metropolis, on a completely new circuit. The Madring, a hybrid track combining sections of public roads and sections built specifically for the occasion in the IFEMA complex (Madrid Trade Fair Institution), will make its debut on the World Championship calendar from September 11 to 13.

Less than twenty minutes from the city center and five minutes from the international airport, it embodies a new generation of street circuits that F1 is increasingly favoring. It is in this context that Carlos Sainz, pilot Williams and ambassador of the project since its inception, had the privilege of completing the first laps at the wheel of a Ford Mustang.

For the Spaniard, born and raised in Madrid, where he competed in his first races kartingThe scope of the event extends far beyond the sporting realm. “It’s something very difficult for me to describe, because it’s something I’ve always dreamed of: having the opportunity to race in my hometown. Madrid is a great city, a city I’ve always spoken highly of, and now it’s going to have a Formula 1 circuit. It will be incredible.”

A circuit for Spanish fans

Number 55 particularly remembers a childhood scene that shaped his awareness of what Madrid could represent for motorsport: at ten years old, he was in the crowd lining the main thoroughfare of the capital to celebrate the retirement of his father, a two-time world rally champion. "There were thousands and thousands of people along Madrid's main avenue. It was perhaps the first time I realized just how many motorsport fans there are in this city."

The 20-turn circuit features several memorable sections, but it was undoubtedly the section known as "La Monumental" that most impressed Carlos Sainz. This 500-meter corner—the longest on the entire F1 calendar—has a 24% camber and will be flanked by grandstands with a capacity of up to 45,000 spectators on both sides, creating a unique atmosphere. The Williams driver had warned that appearances can be deceiving: "It will be a full-throttle kilometer from turn 2 to turn 4. It's constantly twisting, like a very long Monza Parabolica, but all curves before arriving at that big braking zone under the bridge."

Some well-received passages

What perhaps appealed to him most was the duality of the circuit. "I love the fact that the circuit is made up of two completely separate parts. You go from a very tight, urban-type section to a blind corner, and suddenly the whole track opens up. It's like going through a screen and entering another world." On exiting La Monumental, the pilots positioned close to the ground will see only one thing: the sky, before the runway plunges back down towards the urban section that winds through the IFEMA complex.

Driving a road car for these first laps, Carlos Sainz did not hide his surprise: "It was honestly impressive. I didn't expect it to be so much fun, so fluid, so wide. You can lean on the car for so long. If it's already like that in this car, imagine what it will be like in Formula 1." For a circuit whose feel was still unknown a few weeks ago, the Madrid-born driver's verdict is promising. It remains to be seen how it will feel in a Formula 1 car next September.

ALSO READ > Work on the Madring F1 circuit is progressing, with the "Monumental" corner already paved.