MADRING paves its iconic La Monumental corner
The circuit achieves a key milestone in its construction after overcoming its greatest technical challenge: the paving of the longest banked corner in the Formula 1 World Championship
La Monumental has now revealed its silhouette after receiving the first of its three pavement layers. The MADRING circuit takes a step forward in its construction with the asphalting of Turn 12, which will shape part of the character of the FORMULA 1 TAG HEUER GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA to be held in Madrid on the weekend of 11–13 September.
La Monumental, stretching 550 metres and featuring a semicircular shape, is the longest corner on the calendar and includes an extreme 24% banking that will pose a huge technical challenge for drivers, who will spend roughly 6 seconds cornering at an incline with their single‑seaters. Added to this is a maximum height of 10 metres, creating an imposing wall of asphalt that aims to redefine the concept of a Formula 1 corner.
A “Monumental” technical challenge
The process of laying the first base layer of asphalt on Turn 12 has been one of the greatest technical challenges of the entire project. Due to its geometric characteristics and steep banking, it is the most complex section of the circuit in terms of execution, requiring millimetric precision.
To guarantee this level of accuracy, two state‑of‑the‑art pavers were used working in perfect synchronisation—an uncommon operation that ensured continuity and uniformity of the surface across a layout of this nature.
The dimensions of Turn 12 required more than 1,800 cubic metres of mix, the equivalent of covering the entire Santiago Bernabéu stadium pitch with a 25‑centimetre‑thick layer.
The asphalt of La Monumental is also 100% “made in Madrid”. The mix was produced at the Vicálvaro plant and was laid at a temperature close to 170 degrees, a critical condition that limits the application window to barely 30 minutes from the moment it is produced. This requirement made the plant’s proximity essential for optimising logistics and ensuring the final quality of the result.
Furthermore, the pavement design has made it possible to optimise resources by reducing the thickness of the top layer and achieving an approximate 20% reduction in material usage, with the resulting positive impact on sustainability.
Meanwhile, progress continues across all phases of MADRING. The asphalting of the remaining sections of the Valdebebas plot will take place over this week and next, and the second asphalt layer—the intermediate one—is scheduled to be laid in April. Likewise, the structures of the future team garages are already visible from outside the Pit Building, which is progressing at a solid pace.
With 172 days to go until the start of the FORMULA 1 TAG HEUER GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA, MADRING already has in La Monumental its defining icon—the corner that will not only make the Grand Prix unique, but will also give it personality.