Kimi Antonelli heads into Formula One’s long-awaited return to Madrid riding the biggest high of his young career, with the Italian seeking to build on a remarkable home victory at Monza and extend his championship lead at a new circuit drivers have already described as “crazy” and “insane”.
The 20-year-old produced a sensational recovery from 19th on the grid to win last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, a result that stretched his advantage over Mercedes teammate George Russell to 66 points with 10 races remaining. Antonelli described the Monza triumph in front of his home supporters as the “best day” of his life but has quickly shifted his attention to Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix and the unknown challenge presented by Madring.
Antonelli riding Monza high
“Definitely so far the best day of my life, and an incredible memory,” Antonelli said on Thursday. “Wish I had a bit more time to realise and enjoy it, but now obviously we are in Madrid and we are ready to do our best and we’ll try to repeat.”
The Spanish Grand Prix marks the end of the European leg of the season and brings Formula One racing back to the Madrid region for the first time since Jarama hosted a race in 1981. Barcelona had been the Spanish GP’s home in recent years, while Jerez de la Frontera staged races between 1986 and 1990 and again in 1994 and 1997. Madring has secured a Formula One contract through 2035.
‘Crazy’ Madring poses new challenge
The 5.4-km Madring is the newest circuit to join the F1 calendar since Las Vegas made its debut three years ago. Its hybrid layout combines existing roads with purpose-built sections and features high-speed stretches, heavy-braking zones, gradient changes, blind turns and demanding corners, with cars running close to barriers through much of the lap.
Its signature feature is expected to be “La Monumental”, a heavily banked corner stretching nearly 550 metres. Drivers are expected to spend around six seconds negotiating the section, which features a height difference of up to 10 metres between its lower and upper points.
Russell, who has not won since the Austrian Grand Prix in June, expects confidence to be crucial. “It seems a wild track, to be fair. It’s mental but exciting to experience it,” he said, predicting that qualifying would play a major role in determining the outcome.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly said the circuit looked “insane” on the simulator, while Haas driver Esteban Ocon described it as a “crazy circuit” offering substantial risk and reward.
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso also expects an intense challenge, pointing to the technical layout, aggressive kerbs and high-speed sections close to the walls. The Aston Martin veteran predicted “high-adrenaline” laps as drivers learn the circuit.
Red flags add to uncertainty
Formula 2 and Formula 3 cars were scheduled to provide the first competitive running on Friday before Formula One’s two opening practice sessions, with another practice and qualifying on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s race.
There have already been signs that the unforgiving circuit could produce interruptions. Several red flags were shown when Formula 3 cars tested the track last month. During Friday’s Formula 2 practice, Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak’s car caught fire after striking a wall, forcing officials to stop the session while the area was cleared.
With no previous F1 race data available, teams will have to learn quickly as they work out tyre behaviour, overtaking possibilities, setup requirements and the limits of the new surface.
Ferrari puts Monza tension behind
Ferrari teammates Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, said they had cleared the air following their near-collision during the team’s home race at Monza.
Leclerc accepted responsibility for the incident, while Hamilton praised his teammate’s response and said Ferrari’s priority was maximising results as it attempts to close the gap to Mercedes.
“Just making sure we’re executing to make sure we get the best results for the team instead of us working against each other and finishing fourth and fifth,” Hamilton said. “Maybe you can work together and get a podium and pull off more points.”
Home hopes face difficult weekend
Organisers expect around 350,000 spectators across the three-day event after tickets sold out, although prospects of a home victory appear limited.
Alonso’s Aston Martin and Carlos Sainz’s Williams have struggled for outright pace this season, leaving the Spanish pair facing an uphill battle at the inaugural Madring race.
Sainz acknowledged that the circuit’s characteristics could be particularly difficult for his car but vowed to maximise the opportunity of racing in Madrid.
For Antonelli, however, the weekend presents an opportunity to turn the momentum generated by his extraordinary Monza comeback into another decisive step towards the Formula One title.