'Car Killer': Why Formula 1's New Track In Spain Might Lead To Many Crashes

News sports formula-one 'Car Killer': Why Formula 1's New Track In Spain Might Lead To Many Crashes

Last Updated:September 11, 2026, 16:40 IST

Formula One heads to Madrid's "MADRING Sur" circuit, dubbed the "car killer" after 19 red flags in an F3 test. Drivers anticipate a challenging, high-risk race with close walls.

This weekend, the Formula One caravan will be in the Spanish capital of Madrid. The circuit that’ll host its first-ever F1 Grand Prix is called the ‘MADRING Sur’. That’s its official name—unofficially, it’s increasingly being labeled the ‘car killer’.

It’s an old-school circuit, which is said to have a lot of ‘character’, which translates to a lot of sharp corners and an interesting variety of challenges for the drivers. But that also means a lot of crashes.

F1, just to test out the circuit, arranged a session for the Formula Three teams here, and it saw as many as 19 red flags, a record for one session. There were multiple crashes, spread across half of the circuit, and most of the teams left the circuit with a long bill of repairs and spare parts.

“In the Formula 3 test there were 19 red flags and three broken chassis, broken suspensions…OK, they’re Formula 3 drivers, but it’s a track that kills cars," Williams team principal James Vowles told Sport.

The track starts with a slow-speed chicane followed by a flat-out stretch to turn 4, before a dangerous, sharp, high-speed chicane. Then, there’s a short underpass and an uphill stretch. At turns 10 and 11, there’s a quick right/left in quick succession.

That gets the driver into a 24% banked corner, a curved track, tilted upward on the outside edge. Pirelli’s chief engineer Simone Berra labelled it ‘the most severe turn’ in the championship, which doesn’t allow a lot of tyre grip for drivers.

“I heard about the 19 red flags in F3 and I was a bit surprised," Mercedes driver George Russell said. “And then, after I drove it on the sim, I was surprised there were only 19 red flags. So, it’s a crazy circuit. “I would put it, arguably, as the most risky circuit of the whole calendar, because you have real high-speed corners, sort of Jeddah-esque. The walls are very close. There’s no margin for error… I think it’s going to be really challenging for us as drivers. The race is going to be challenging to overtake. So, on the whole, it’s not an easy one."

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