The Spanish Grand Prix promoters set high expectations of the new Madring ahead of its first Formula 1 race last weekend.
“The adrenaline is at 100% every lap” raved one Formula 3 driver in pre-event material issued by the promoters. They promised turn 12, dubbed Monumental, was “set to become one of Madring’s greatest challenges.”The reality proved somewhat different. The Madring as a whole produced little action of note and Monumental was no exception, aside from Franco Colapinto’s impressive save during qualifying.
Formula 1 drivers were largely unchallenged by the 24-degree banked corner as they couldn’t tackle it at maximum speed. This was for the same reason so many of F1’s great corners have been neutered this year: their power units weren’t up to it.
“I wanted to go flat [out], but then my battery dies,” explained Max Verstappen, “so you add a lift to have better deployment. So that’s my Monumental experience.”
The original design for the Monumental corner featured a straighter, faster approach. But even with the addition of two more turns before it, drivers had to use the Madring’s much-hyped challenge as an energy-saving opportunity.
This was despite the Madring promoters claiming “the circuit is adapted to the new [F1] regulations” which were introduced for 2026.
Although the corner proved unchallenging for F1 drivers, Verstappen suspects it was more demanding for those in junior categories.
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“It’s cool, the banking, but I think they should have done it the other way around,” he said. “Initially more banking and then just flatten it out.
“In an F1 car you have so much downforce. I think it’s more challenging in the other categories because it didn’t look so easy flat in other categories.
“For us, plus because our battery dies towards the end, you already slow down a bit. But I guess for the shots it looks great from the outside.”
Lando Norris agreed “it’s not the biggest challenge because you have to just save the battery through the first part of the corner.”
“It would be better if we just had no battery and more power, so in a few years maybe it’ll be more fun. But it’s still a cool feeling, it’s a different feeling.”
Norris suggested increasing the camber on more corners would improve the racing at the Madring. “Cambered corners normally allow you to follow better,” he said. “So, I think next year more corners should be a bit more cambered.”
“It’s a fun corner,” he added, “it could just be better.”
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