F3 driver shares Madring sneak peek as risk of 'chaos' looms

Formula 1's Spanish Grand Prix weekend is finally here, and the Madring is about to host its first competitive F1 session.

But while the paddock is still finding its bearings at the all-new Madrid venue, one driver has already had an extended look at what lies ahead.

Alessandro Giusti, the Frenchman racing for MP Motorsport in FIA Formula 3 and a member of the Williams Driver Academy, was among 30 drivers who took part in a two-day F3 test at the circuit in August.

That test served as both a sporting preparation exercise and a full-scale operational dress rehearsal for the venue, deploying 120 marshals, 60 healthcare professionals and 30 recovery vehicles to validate race-day systems under live conditions.

Across its two days, 19 red flags were thrown as car after car found the walls, lending credence to a pre-weekend assessment shared by many that the Madring could be a bit of a car killer.

Multiple chassis were broken, and the sheer frequency of stoppages painted a vivid picture of what F1, F2 and F3 could have in store this weekend.

'Way too many red flags'

Giusti described the test to RacingNews365, reflecting on a circuit that pushes drivers right to the edge, and frequently beyond it.

"To be honest, it was quite chaotic, especially on day two," he recalled. "I don't even remember the number of red flags, but there were way too many. It was like 19 red flags in two days [and] a lot of cars destroyed.

"Luckily, in the team we had only one contact, which was my team-mate, but no big damage, so we could work the run plan as we wanted.

"But this track, for sure, it's really tricky to be on the limit every corner without being close to the wall or crashing.

"So it's really a balance... and the risk is there. If you want to put in a great lap, you have a chance as well to put it in the wall, so that's something to keep in mind. It will be pretty difficult."

Several teams were not as fortunate as MP Motorsport, with multiple cars sustaining substantial damage across the two days.

The circuit's hybrid nature, weaving through the IFEMA exhibition centre before opening up into the purpose-built Valdebebas section, creates a relentless sequence of challenges where the walls are never far away.

Tunnels, buildings and 'really cool corners'

When asked to single out his favourite part of the lap, Giusti pointed to the final sector, a sequence that takes drivers through a tunnel beneath the M-11 motorway and past the striking architecture of the IFEMA complex.

"The part I like the most, I would say, is Sector 3, so coming into Turns 17 to 22," he explained. "They are really cool corners going through the building, through a tunnel, corners which are quick.

"One corner you have a big braking point, and it's not straight at all, so it's really tricky to get it right.

"So that's really interesting because from one lap to the other you can make a mistake, and that's what will be the speciality of Madrid; someone who is going to do the job on the lap, and it will be quick.

"The most interesting part for racing will be Turn 1 and Turn 5. They're the only major overtaking points, and as well, they're the points where it's quite easy to crash, especially T5, the chicane, before the tunnel. We have big kerbs; the car is launching. You have to have a lot of commitment, and the wall is really, really close on exit.

"In the F3 test, I think that's where we had the most red flags: Turn 5, three or four, I don't remember, but it's hard to get it right; you have to be on the limit on the kerbs and on the wall. So not easy."

'Harder than Jeddah'

The comparisons to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, which plays host to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, have been unavoidable ever since the Madring's layout was first revealed.

Giusti's assessment after driving the track somewhat reinforces them, but he is quick to highlight the unique nature of F1's newest venue.

"It's a track I don't find similar to any other. It's really original," he stated. "I've never driven Jeddah, but looking at Jeddah, it's a bit similar.

"You have corners that are really quick, with the walls not far away. You have big braking with chicanes. So I would say it can be a bit like Jeddah. But that's the main similarity with Jeddah.

"Then, if I have to compare another one, it's Monaco, but with fewer bumps on some corners, so it's super hard. I think it's even harder than Jeddah."

A corner-by-corner breakdown of the danger zones

Giusti went into forensic detail about where the Madring bites hardest, identifying a string of corners that produced incident after incident during the F3 test.

"That's why this track is really tricky, because there are many corners you can shunt easily," Giusti said when Max Verstappen's comment that there are numerous corners that can produce crashes was put to him.

"T1 and T2 are quite fine. Then T5, T6, the chicane: it's because the kerb is really high and you have to take it to be quick, and then, if you don't take it a lot, you can end up in the wall, which is really, really close to the point you're taking the second kerb.

"Then after, on the high-speed, it's really tricky as well, because the one before La Monumental, you have two high-speed corners, which are really bumpy. It's really easy to make a mistake as well; in F3, there were like two or three red flags there, and it's high-speed, so there can be a big shunt.

"One more, I would say, is T13, which is the one after the banking, which feels like it's quite open on entry, and then you feel like it's getting tighter and tighter and tighter, but it's still quick. It's still a big corner, but this one is tricky.

"One where you can make a mistake, but not crash easily, is the next braking point, which is not straight at all; you start to brake, and it's turning, turning, turning. I think there will be a lot of mistakes.

"Not crashes, I don't think, because you avoid that on the runoff, but it's super easy to lock up and go straight. So I think most of the mistakes will be at this one, T16."

'It can bring a lot of chaos'

With every F1 driver arriving at the Madring without a single competitive lap on the surface, the potential for the unexpected is enormous.

F3 at least had the benefit of its two-day test. F2 and F1 have no such luxury, and Giusti believes that could produce fireworks.

"Yeah, there can be, there can be," Giusti responded when asked whether there was the potential for upsets or surprises this weekend.

"It's the first time on this track for everyone, racing [at least]. I think it will be a bit easier for F3 because we had the test. We know a bit about how the car behaves and what setup we're gonna use.

"But I think F2 and F1 will be very interesting. It's hard to be lucid for like 30 laps in a row. For example, in F1... to be lucid for 60 laps with someone chasing you, or you need to chase someone, it's gonna be really tough mentally, and I think that can bring a lot of chaos.

"And as well, you have part of the track at the start that if you go too wide, that's not going to work.

"So, for sure, there will be surprises. Especially for me, the most surprises will be in F2, but then in F1, let's see. But it can bring out a lot of spectacle."