The track, which is located close to Madrid\u2019s Barajas airport, remains under construction with an FIA inspection set to take place at the end of this month.<\/p>\n
Madrid-born Sainz is one of two Spanish drivers on the F1 2026 grid, along with Aston Martin\u2019s Fernando Alonso, the two-time world champion, with the Williams man appointed an ambassador of the Madring last year.<\/p>\n
The 31-year-old recently carried out his first lap of the Madring behind the wheel of a Ford Mustang GT car (below).<\/p>\n
![\"Carlos](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/carlos-sainz-ford-madring-f1-2026-spanish-grand-prix.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Carlos Sainz (Ford Mustang GT) tackles La Monumental, the signature corner of the new Madring circuit<\/p>\n
In a clip released by Formula 1, Sainz highlighted La Monumental \u2013 a 500-metre-long banked right hander set to become the longest corner on the F1 calendar \u2013 as the circuit\u2019s signature turn.<\/p>\n
La Monumental has attracted comparisons to the banked Turn 3 at Zandvoort, the Dutch Grand Prix venue which will lose its place on the calendar at the end of this year.<\/p>\n
Sainz said of La Monumental: \u201cTwenty-four degrees of banking, sustained for almost half a kilometre, so 500 metres.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will allow for side-by-side racing, especially for getting out of the dirty air \u2013 go high [or] go low \u2013 with the idea of [Turn 3 at] Zandvoort.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight at the end, it [the circuit] goes up and then down, so it\u2019s not only banking, it\u2019s up-and-down banking.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this is going to be epic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Put to him that 45,000 people will be situated at La Monumental on race day, he added: \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a tube of grandstands all the way around that corner.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be the signature corner of the circuit, I think, so it\u2019s going to be grandstands to the left and to the right.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think you get that in many places.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlos Sainz vs Alex Albon: Williams head-to-head stats for F1 2026 season<\/p>\n
F1 2026: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between teammates<\/a><\/p>\n F1 2026: Head-to-head race statistics between teammates<\/a><\/p>\n After the run, he said of the circuit overall: \u201cHonestly? Impressive.<\/p>\n \u201cImpressive because I didn\u2019t expect to have so much fun. I didn\u2019t expect it to be so flowing, so wide, where you can actually lean on the car for so long.<\/p>\n \u201cI just realised how fast we were going and I was like: \u2018If we\u2019re going fast in this [car], imagine a Formula 1 car.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cYou go from a very tight, street-style area to suddenly a blind corner that you see absolutely nothing and suddenly the whole track opens up.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like you go through a screen and you go into a different world, like a different track!<\/p>\n \u201cI love that the track has two completely separate, different parts and you go from a street part to a fully open, wide part.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n