550 METRES. 24% BANKING. MADRING’S BIGGEST UNKNOWN IS ALMOST HERE.
Formula 1’s newest circuit has completed its first full-field test, but La Monumental has never seen 22 F1 cars racing through its 270-degree arc. Madrid’s defining corner will soon reveal whether the spectacle matches the promise.
Formula 1 will race at Madrid’s new Madring circuit for the first time on September 13. The 5.416-kilometre, 22-corner layout combines public roads with permanent sections, but one corner has already become the defining feature of the entire project.
Turn 12, known as La Monumental, is a 550-metre banked curve designed to keep the cars turning for approximately six seconds. Its scale is clear on paper. What remains unknown is how it will perform when 22 Formula 1 cars attack it under genuine race conditions.
Why La Monumental is different
La Monumental forms a 270-degree arc with banking that reaches 24%. The corner is 12 metres wide, rises as much as 10 metres and is surrounded by seating for approximately 45,000 spectators.
Carlos Sainz has estimated that Formula 1 cars could enter between 180 and 200 km/h before continuing to accelerate through the corner. He also believes the banking could allow drivers to choose different lines, find cleaner air and build a slipstream before the tight left-hand corner that follows.
The outside wall and a crest near the exit add another layer of difficulty. Drivers will briefly lose sight of what lies ahead as the circuit rises, making commitment and car placement especially important.
Madring has been tested—but not under F1 race conditions
Ferrari became the first Formula 1 team to run a current car at Madring when Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton completed a filming day in July. That running was restricted by promotional tyres and strict mileage limits, giving Ferrari an early impression without replicating a complete race weekend.
The circuit then hosted all 30 Formula 3 drivers across two official test days in August. Their running tested the track surface, kerbs, barriers, communication systems, incident response and recovery procedures under sustained on-track conditions.
Initial driver feedback was positive. Formula 3 championship leader Freddie Slater described the circuit as old-school and praised the character created by its walls, elevation changes and technical sections.
The biggest questions remain unanswered
Formula 3 testing confirmed that Madring can support a full field of single-seaters, but Formula 1 will produce greater speed, aerodynamic load and energy through La Monumental.
The first Grand Prix will reveal whether drivers can genuinely use multiple lines, whether cars can follow closely through the banking and whether the corner creates the overtaking opportunity expected at the braking zone that follows.
Until then, La Monumental remains Madring’s biggest unknown: 550 metres of banking built to become an instant Formula 1 landmark, still waiting for its first real race.
