Leclerc predicts Madring will demand full commitment from F1 drivers

Leclerc gets early look at Madrid’s new challenge

Charles Leclerc believes the Madring has the ingredients to become one of Formula 1’s most demanding new circuits after Ferrari completed an early filming day at the Madrid venue.

Ferrari ran the SF-26 at the 5.416-kilometre quasi-street circuit on 9 July, giving Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton an initial reference point ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix in September. The Scuderia completed the full 200 kilometres permitted under FIA filming-day regulations, using Pirelli demonstration tyres while construction work was still under way around the IFEMA exhibition complex.

Leclerc’s first impressions were shaped by an imperfect surface. “I did some laps behind a Stelvio, or whatever that car was,” he told media. “Obviously, it was in the middle of the works. There was still so much work, and there was so much dirt on the track.”

Even so, the Ferrari driver saw clear potential in the layout. “It looks like a cool track, and I love city tracks,” Leclerc said. He described the Madring as challenging and featuring the characteristics he enjoys, while making clear that the true test will come once the circuit is ready for a race weekend.

Ferrari’s early running also gives the team a first-hand impression that its rivals will not yet share. That extra reference point will be relevant as the Scuderia continues a development programme already under scrutiny, as outlined in Ferrari’s 2026 development strategy.

La Monumental set to define the lap

The circuit’s standout feature is La Monumental, a 547-metre right-hander banked at 24 per cent. The corner forms part of a 22-turn layout that also includes tunnels and significant elevation changes. Drivers are expected to experience around 4G for approximately six seconds through the bend.

Leclerc sees the corner as a potential signature moment of the season. “In qualifying, we’ll have to, I’ll say it in a polite way, but we’ll have to be very brave because it’s going to be on the limit,” he said.

Comparisons with Zandvoort’s banking have already emerged, but Leclerc stressed that La Monumental did not feel flat during Ferrari’s running, largely because of the dust on the unfinished track. He also noted that the Madring corner is fundamentally different from Zandvoort’s flat-out final turn.

Whether the layout ultimately suits him remains unknown. Leclerc, however, is confident about the demand it will place on every driver: “One thing for sure is that you will have to go full commitment, and this I always enjoy on city tracks.”