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Ferrari have reportedly identified a regulatory grey area that allowed Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to complete a filming-day run at Madrid’s new MadRing circuit ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix in September.
The session comes with the Scuderia in buoyant mood after Leclerc’s British Grand Prix victory, while Hamilton’s performances in the 2026 Formula 1 season have continued to improve. With the campaign set to resume next weekend at Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix, Ferrari have already turned part of their focus toward understanding one of the calendar’s newest challenges.
The MadRing, built around the IFEMA Exhibition Centre, will host the Spanish Grand Prix from this year onwards, with Barcelona moving onto the rotational list. Ferrari’s appearance in Madrid follows earlier reporting that the team would run its SF-26 at the venue, as covered in our previous update on Ferrari’s planned Madring filming day.
Hamilton and Leclerc took to the circuit on Thursday, with Ferrari later sharing footage across its social media channels. The competitive sensitivity is obvious: a new Grand Prix venue offers no established race-weekend knowledge, so any early mileage can carry value, even under restricted conditions.
According to the Italian edition of Motorsport.com, Ferrari discovered that the rules do not prohibit holding a filming day at a new Formula 1 track. The restrictions cited in the report are said to apply to TPCs — tests of previous cars — rather than filming days.
Ferrari are also reported to have categorically refuted suggestions that the test was paid for by the Madrid Grand Prix organisers.
The run was not unrestricted. Ferrari were still limited to a maximum of 200km and were not permitted to use 2026 Pirelli tyres. Even so, the outing gives Hamilton and Leclerc an early chance to familiarise themselves with the 5.4km circuit before the championship arrives in September.
That is where the sporting question lies. The session may be legal within the framework described, but it still hands Ferrari a small preparation advantage at a venue the rest of the field has yet to race.
Carlos Sainz was previously the first current F1 driver to sample the MadRing, completing laps in a Ford Mustang alongside journalist Lawrence Barretto. Reflecting on the experience, Sainz said: “It was honestly impressive. I didn’t expect to have so much fun.”
He added: “I didn’t expect it to be so flowing, so wide. You can lean on the car for so long. If we’re going this fast in this, imagine what it’ll be like in a Formula 1 car.”
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.
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