MADRID (AP) — Carlos Sainz expects the new hybrid Madring track at the Spanish Grand Prix to be one of the toughest of the season.
The new circuit, which was built using a mix of existing roads and purpose-built sections, will make its Formula 1 debut this weekend. Sainz said Wednesday the track should be fun but very challenging for the drivers.
“The main thing will be the intensity of the lap,” Sainz said. “From what I could see in the simulator and
from the videos we saw of the F3 test laps, it looks like the circuit will be very intense, with turn after turn, wall after wall. It will be one of the most difficult and most intense for the driver.”
The Williams driver, who is from Madrid, compared the new track to the ones at the Azerbaijan GP in Baku and the Saudi Arabian GP in Jeddah.
“It reminds me a mix of Baku and Jeddah, which are some of the newer circuits that have been added to the calendar and, sincerely, are some of the most fun tracks and the ones that promote the best racing. I'm excited to give it a try.”
Formula 3 drivers tested the new track last month, with some drivers in the lower-tiered series highlighting the intensity of the circuit. One compared sections of it to the street tracks of Macau and Monaco.
The 5.4-kilometer (3.3-mile) Madring layout has 22 corners and combines high-speed zones, heavy-braking areas, changes of gradient, blind angles, technical sectors and long, high-load corners that will all reduce the margin for error.
The banked corner “La Monumental” is expected to be the highlight of the new track. It is more than 500 meters (yards) in length and cars will spend about six second turning on it. It has a maximum banking of 24%, and nearly 10 metres (yards) of height difference between its lower and upper sections.
Organizers said Wednesday tickets were sold out for the race weekend, with an estimated 350,000 people attending the event over the three days of racing. Some 60% of those were from Spain and 40% from abroad. The list of visitors was led by fans from Britain, the U.S. and Mexico.
The Spanish GP is returning to the Madrid region for the first time in 45 years. The Spanish GP took place at the Jarama circuit in the capital’s outskirts in 1981. The Jerez de la Frontera track in southern Spain hosted races from 1986-90, and in 1994 and 1997. Madring signed a contract with F1 through 2035.
Organizers said teams were already unloading equipment and the garages were being prepared, and the grandstands were receiving their final cleaning work. The first day of racing will be on Friday with two practice sessions. Qualifying is Saturday and the 57-lap race is Sunday.
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