Max Verstappen has warned that Formula One’s new Madring circuit could be a “car killer” as drivers prepare for a chaotic Spanish Grand Prix weekend.
The reigning world champion raised concerns about the unforgiving nature of the high-speed track, where concrete walls leave little margin for error.
Its unusual layout includes blind bends, aggressive kerbs and a huge banked corner through the middle sector, with several drivers comparing elements of the venue to Jeddah and Baku.
The warning signs were evident during a two-day Formula Three test last month which produced an extraordinary 19 red flags, most of them caused by crashes around different sections of the circuit.
“It’s a tough track,” Verstappen said.
“For me, what I feel while driving, it’s a little bit the same kind of sensation that I get sometimes around Jeddah in places.
“Of course, Jeddah is faster on average with the corners, but the walls are quite similar in how they are positioned.
“It’s going to be tough. I think when F3 were testing here there were a lot of shunts, so it’s not an easy track, easy to make a mistake also with the layout of the track.
“The kerbs that are there, we need to run over a few of them, and that’s normally not the strong point of our car, but we will try to do the best we can.”
When asked directly whether the Madring was capable of destroying cars, Verstappen offered a blunt assessment.
“It probably is a car killer from what I’ve seen so far but you just need to try and stay out of the walls and try to get the best possible feeling in the car,” he added.
“When you’re confident in the car on a street circuit it helps a lot.”
The F1 calendar for the 2026 season | GB NEWS/GETTY
Drivers will use Friday’s two practice sessions to build confidence and gradually discover the limits of a circuit none of them have previously raced on.
Williams star Carlos Sainz, who provided input during the design process, believes the venue will offer something different from the established tracks on the calendar.
“Realistically speaking, it’s going to be now tomorrow in FP1 when we really know what this track is all about,” he said.
“It looks that the track has character, that it’s charismatic, with a lot of different kinds of corners.”
Overtaking is expected to be difficult because several sections appear to offer only one viable racing line, placing even greater importance on qualifying.
George Russell believes drivers will be forced to take major risks if they want to secure a competitive grid position.
“It’s a crazy circuit,” the Mercedes star said. “I would put it as arguably the most risky circuit of the whole calendar because you have real high-speed corners, sort of Jeddah-esque.
“The walls are very close, so there’s no margin for error.”
Max Verstappen has endured an inconsistent F1 season so far
|
GETTY
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly is also expecting repeated stoppages and mistakes throughout the weekend.
“The track layout is something I’ve never seen before,” he said. “You have these crazy corners, blind corners, a huge banking.
“I’m excited. I expect a really hectic weekend with lots of disruption and mistakes and we will have to make sure we are on the right side of it.”
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli will be particularly determined to avoid trouble after opening a 66-point advantage over Russell, while Lewis Hamilton sits 76 points off the lead.
