Formula 3 Takes to the Track at MADRING for the First Time, 18 Days Before the Spanish Grand Prix

MADRING experienced its first official outing on track this Monday. The circuit hosted the opening day of the FIA Formula 3 Championship official tests, marking the debut of the single-seaters less than three weeks before Formula 1 returns to Madrid. From 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, the venue welcomed 10 teams, 30 drivers and the category’s technical personnel for a working session that allowed the circuit to be tested under real track activity conditions.

Among the teams in attendance were some of the most prominent outfits on the road to Formula 1, including Campos Racing, PREMA Racing, Trident, MP Motorsport, ART Grand Prix, Hitech, DAMS Lucas Oil, Rodin Motorsport, Van Amersfoort Racing and AIX Racing. The drivers took to the 5.4-kilometre circuit for the first time, tackling its kerbs, blind entries and the challenge of the Monumental corner, which they all agreed was a technical and physical test worthy of its name. Spaniard Bruno del Pino also highlighted the difficulty of Turns 4 and 5 before the tunnel leading up to Cárcavas: “it’s a very difficult bottleneck that is catching many of us by surprise”.

The day also saw the deployment of a major operational and technical workforce, designed to operate under conditions similar to those expected for the FORMULA 1 TAG HEUER GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA 2026. MADRING and the Real Automóvil Club de España (RACE) mobilised an operation comprising 120 track marshals, 60 medical professionals including doctors, nurses, technicians and ambulance personnel, 9 ambulances, 23 firefighters, 8 fire intervention vehicles and 30 recovery and assistance vehicles, as well as 40 professionals dedicated to the event’s logistics coordination.

Throughout the day, the various race control and track management procedures planned for the Grand Prix were put into operation, including communications systems, flag signalling, incident management by the marshals, vehicle recovery operations and the coordination of support resources deployed around the circuit. The strong wind gusts recorded at various points during the day in the Valdebebas area also provided a particularly useful scenario for assessing the performance of systems and protocols under real operating conditions.

The activity continues this Tuesday, 25 August with a second day of testing, completing FIA Formula 3’s official programme at MADRING and offering teams and drivers another opportunity to further explore the characteristics of the circuit. With just 18 days to go before Formula 1 arrives in the Spanish capital, the circuit is staging its first full dress rehearsal ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, scheduled to take place from 11 to 13 September.