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Ferrari Thrills Fans with First F1 Laps at Madrid Circuit
Highlights
- Ferrari completed first F1 laps on Madring during filming day
- Charles Leclerc drove the SF-26 car on new 20-turn layout
- Madring will host Spanish Grand Prix in September 2026
- Lewis Hamilton also scheduled to run laps on filming day
- Session provided valuable early feedback for Ferrari’s race strategy
Ferrari completes the first F1 laps of Madrid’s Madring on a filming day. Charles Leclerc drives the SF-26, with Lewis Hamilton scheduled, gathering early data for 2026 Spanish GP.
The new 20-turn layout blends public roads with permanent sections and joins the calendar in 2026, hosting Spain’s race on September 11-13.
It’s the first running of a current F1 car at Madring. In May, Carlos Sainz lapped the route in a Ford Mustang during a media event with Lawrence Barretto onboard.
Ferrari becomes the first to run a modern F1 car on Madring’s 20-turn layout.
Filming days impose strict mileage caps and promotional Pirelli tyres, but track reconnaissance still matters: sightlines, kerb profiles, surface changes, and pit procedures.
Ferrari gathers baseline metrics on ride heights, brake energy, and hybrid deployment windows, refining simulator models and trimming unknowns before September.
Filming-day running focuses on correlation, not laptime: ride heights, energy recovery, and surface grip.
The team arrives buoyed by Silverstone, where Leclerc won and Hamilton finished third, reinforcing momentum in Ferrari’s 2026 title bid, as explored in Ferrari’s repeat challenge coverage.
Strategic learnings should also help avert repeat errors on an unfamiliar venue, aligning preparation with execution after past strategy mistakes in critical moments.
Technically, Madring’s blend of long straights and tight complexes challenges cooling targets and energy recovery mapping, making correlation with simulator aero maps and power-unit models essential.
Ferrari expects further power-unit developments this summer, with an engine update planned, while addressing known engine weaknesses that influence deployment strategies on new circuits.
Competitively, the advantage is modest. Rivals will also log laps, and meaningful ranking only arrives with representative practice running, tyre allocation, and unrestricted mileage.
Mileage limits and promotional Pirelli tyres constrain performance, but procedures and sightlines are invaluable.
Even so, today’s reconnaissance sharpens Ferrari’s run plans, tyre preparation, and aero correlation before September’s debut, tightening operational margins ahead of a circuit that will quickly punish hesitation.
Visual Summary
Charles Leclerc
🏆
🏆
🐎
🥇 First F1 laps ever at Madring
📆
Spanish GP returns here:
Sep 11–13, 2026
Spanish GP returns here:
Sep 11–13, 2026
🚩
20 challenging turns
20 challenging turns
Leclerc
Recent Winner
+Champ Hopes
Recent Winner
+Champ Hopes
Fresh track. Fresh data.
Ferrari and Hamilton unlock
the secrets of Madring.
Ferrari and Hamilton unlock
the secrets of Madring.
Leclerc’s debut laps launch the newest chapter of the Spanish Grand Prix—20 corners, mixed roads, and a championship chase in sight.
Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.
