MADRID (AP) — The new Madring circuit debuting this season in Formula One has been deemed ready for its inaugural race after successfully hosting tests with the lower-tiered F3 cars this week.
Organizers said Madring “is ready for the Spanish Grand Prix” on Sept. 13 following two days of running that included several red flags for drivers going off track at the new hybrid circuit.
One driver said it is “the most adrenaline-fuelled circuit of the entire season,” while another compared sections of the new track to the circuits on the streets of Monaco and Macau.
A total of 30 drivers and 10 teams raced Monday and Tuesday at the brand-new 5.4-kilometer (3.3-mile) track set around exhibition halls near Madrid’s main airport. The track features a mix of existing roads in the Spanish capital and purpose-built sections.
Organizers said they were able to test “both the track’s performance and the various sporting, technical, medical, safety and coordination operations.” They said “the track and the sporting, technical and safety operations have functioned under real conditions.”
There were nearly 20 stoppages in the sessions because cars went off track and for other reasons.
According to organizers, drivers said they liked what they experienced in the new circuit.
“I feel very comfortable in Macau and Monaco, so I really like this circuit because some sections remind me of them,” said Théophile Naël, who drives for team Van Amersfoort Racing. “When you are flat out, you can feel the g-forces. Inside the car, it is incredible.”
The banked corner “La Monumental” is expected to be the highlight of the new track.
Spanish driver Bruno del Pino, of team MP Motorsport, described the track as “the most adrenaline-fuelled of the entire season.”
“The adrenaline is at 100% on every lap,” he said, adding that the circuit “fills you with energy and gets your heart racing. We are really looking forward to racing here officially.”
Madring signed a contract with F1 through 2035. This year’s Spanish GP will mark F1’s return to the Madrid region after it raced at the Jarama circuit in 1981. The Jerez de la Frontera track in southern Spain hosted races from 1986-90, and in 1994 and 1997.
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Tales Azzoni, The Associated Press
