Carlos Sainz has told his fellow F1 drivers “not to worry” about the Madrid circuit as he is confident the track layout will put on a “good show” for the drivers as well as the fans watching.

The Madring, as the circuit has been dubbed, will host the Madrid Formula 1 Grand Prix for 10 years from 2026.

Fears that Madring is “terrible” and has “no soul”…

The Madring is a brand-new Formula 1 circuit, partially built on the outskirts of the Spanish capital, that combines city streets with purpose-built sections across a 5.4-kilometre, 22-turn layout.

Unveiled last Friday, the layout was panned by fans on social media.

One posted: “Another s**t street circuit.”

Another commented: “It’s a brand new track… and there’s still no chance of overtaking. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, street circuits are rubbish.”

One fan even said: “It’s terrible, no soul.”

However, Sainz, announced as an ambassador of the ‘Madring’, is adamant the track will be “spectacular” just like two of F1’s most recent introductions, Baku and Jeddah, and come with its own character.

“The drivers have asked me about the circuit, the corners, the layout… I’ve told them not to worry, that I’m going to try to help as much as possible to make the circuit a good show,” Sainz said.

“What I ask of an F1 circuit as a driver is that it has charisma and character, that it has a lot of corners that make it different.

“There are circuits like Baku, which has no major corners beyond the castle section, but it has character, because it’s very long straights, there’s a lot of overtaking, it’s spectacular.

“There is Jeddah, which is all fast corners and also spectacular. They’re all urban circuits, but they’ve managed to have character.

“And what I ask of Madring and what we are achieving is that it has that character between being a hybrid circuit, with an urban area with the walls very close and then that more open part, more like a traditional European circuit, which is what we drivers like the most.

“The final part, the banked corners and fast corner sequences… it’s more what we like and what we see at the traditional European circuits. And this circuit has both, it has the open area and the more closed area of the walls.”

The ‘Madring’ includes La Monumental, which will be a steep right-hand banking with a semi-circular shape that takes inspiration from Zandvoort’s Luyendyk corner.

The corner features a gradient of 24 percent with 550 metres that will be covered in just over five seconds at around 300 km/h.

Off the track, Madrid will also offer more for Grand Prix fans.

“Everything that will be around it, all the concerts and all the activations will help the city a lot,” Sainz said. “I think we can have the best circuit in the world and the best event of the whole calendar.

“There are going to be 24 races, and Mexico, Miami, and Las Vegas are doing very well, but I sincerely believe that Madrid can beat them, and we are going to go for it.”

Earlier this month, a contract was signed with Spanish construction firm ACCIONA and France’s Eiffage Construction who will form a joint venture to construct the 5.47km circuit. Building is expected to begin before the end of April.

While the ‘Madring’ will feature on the F1 2026 calendar, it is not yet set in stone that it will be the Madrid Grand Prix or replace Barcelona as the Spanish Grand Prix. According to rumours, both could yet feature on the F1 2026 calendar although for now, only Madrid is guaranteed a spot.

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