Is F1's newest track a 'car killer'?

Alongside the team principal’s concerns, drivers have started to understand how much of a challenge the track is going to be. A few drivers who already drove on the new track have described it as a mix of Monaco, Macau and Jeddah. Pierre Gasly has also jokingly commented that he has crashed into every wall on the simulator.

There are major concerns among fans of the sport about the kind of racing the track will produce as the track is incredibly demanding on the cars, and if drivers feel as though it is a Monaco/Macau kind of track there may not be a lot of overtaking.

So, lets take a deeper look into the track and its challenges to see what kind of race weekend we can expect at the Spanish Grand Prix.

The first concern showed up when Formula 3 drivers went testing there in their break a few weeks ago. In the two days of testing held at the track, there were a staggering 19 Red Flags. James Vowles commented on this saying “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...”

James Vowles has voiced his concerns about Madring being a "track that kills cars"

Some reports suggest that some F3 teams were not impressed about testing the new track as they racked up a lot of costs with damaged parts, but the circuit organiser requested it so that they could identify any problems with the track before F1 turned up in September. They were keen to avoid an incident like when Carlos Sainz’s hit a drain cover in Las Vegas, which greatly irritated his then Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur.

Besides the F3 cars testing out the track for any hazards like unsuspecting drain covers and getting a good look at the barriers instead, the chaos of the test has acted as a warning to the F1 teams and drivers. This track is a lot more challenging than they probably thought it would be.

Carlos Sainz assessing the damage on the bottom of his Ferrari after hitting a drain cover in Las Vegas 2023

Why is this F3 test so concerning? The main worry is that the 19 Red Flags across two days were scattered all over the venue, there was not just one danger zone catching the drivers and cars out.

You could argue that F1 drivers are much more experienced than F3 drivers so should be able to adapt to the new track quicker and with less incidents, but that’s also not taking into account the stress of the track on the cars. Turn 12, or ‘La Monumental’, is a heavily banked long corner that will see drivers experience at least 4G’s for roughly 6 seconds. This paired with lots of low speed traction dependent zones means the tires are going to be bullied and some images of the curbs are concerningly high meaning the suspension will also take a beating. Even if the F1 drivers keep it out of the wall, there are many factors of this track that are incredibly tough on the car.

So what do the F1 drivers actually say?

F1 drivers were asked their opinions on the new track at the drivers parade in Monza. Sainz is an ambassador for the Grand Prix revealed he is “shocked” by the track the organisers have come up with. He went onto explain that he was shocked that there is a new street track with actual character rather than the blander tracks that have been introduced in the past few years. He has also said “we are all expecting safety cars, red flags and yellow flags in qualifying”.

Sergio Perez was asked if he felt like it was dangerous, to which he pointed out: “I don't think it's any more dangerous than Jeddah, to be honest”. This is an interesting comparison as Jeddah has had a reputation for being a ‘car killer’ track too. Notable accidents at Jeddah include Mick Schumacher’s huge crash in 2022.

So what we can gather is the track is not “dangerous”, but F1 drivers seem to agree with the sentiment that the track is going to be really harsh on the cars.

Outside of the dangers of the track, there is a concern that the Grand Prix will be a procession like Monaco, with pit stops being the decider.

The track is full of tight corners, very few straights, not many heavy breaking zones and a bunch of walls so there are not many obvious overtaking opportunities. Furthermore, with so many slow corners there is plenty of opportunities for drivers to recharge their batteries which means battery power will not make much of a difference on the few straights there are. Excitement could happen if there is a safety car or a Red Flag, but F1 enjoyers do not really want to rely on an accident for some action in the Grand Prix. We would much rather have on track battling.

Monaco is a fantastic qualifying experience but the race is almost always a procession, with 34 of its winners starting from pole.