Ferrari debuts MADRING two months ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc bring a Formula 1 car to the Madrid circuit for the first time in a ‘Filming Day’ that has enabled the validation of the track’s operations and safety systems.
MADRING welcomed a Formula 1 car for the first time on Thursday 9 July. Scuderia Ferrari became the first team to run on the circuit that will host the FORMULA 1 TAG HEUER GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA 2026, in a test that made it possible to assess the track’s performance under real conditions ahead of its debut in the FIA Formula One World Championship. To date, no circuit has carried out a session of this kind just two months before its inaugural event.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc completed a Filming Day, an FIA-regulated promotional activity that allows teams to cover a maximum of 200 kilometres (100 km per driver) using Pirelli demonstration tyres specifically designed for this type of event. The winners of two of the last three races became the first drivers to test the circuit that will join the calendar on the weekend of 11–13 September with a Formula 1 car.
The operation deployed by Ferrari replicated part of the standard procedures of a Grand Prix weekend. The Scuderia installed technical equipment, tools, communication systems and all the material required to carry out the day in conditions equivalent to those of a race day.
A test for MADRING as well
Beyond the symbolic value of seeing a Formula 1 car running on the Madrid circuit for the first time, the session represented a major step forward in preparations for the Grand Prix. During the running, it was possible to assess the behaviour of the asphalt, the response of the circuit, the kerbs, the run-off areas, safety procedures, communications, coordination between the various operational teams and the work of the track marshals, as well as the performance of the permanent infrastructure that will support the event.
The day marks a new milestone in the countdown to MADRING’s debut as the venue for the FORMULA 1 TAG HEUER GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA and confirms the progress of the project in one of its most important phases: the validation of the operations of a completely new circuit ahead of its debut in the FIA Formula One World Championship.