McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has suggested Ferrari could hold an early advantage around the Madring following a recent filming day it held at the track.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton shared duties in the SF-26, completing the full 200 km allowed under the regulations.
Filming days are strictly promotional events, restricted to Pirelli demonstration tyres and with no test equipment permitted. The intent is to limit any competitive gain, though teams inevitably gather some baseline data from the running.
The new Madrid circuit, built around the IFEMA exhibition centre, will host its inaugural Spanish Grand Prix on 13 September. The roughly 5.4 km layout features around 20 corners and will be the first time F1 has raced in the Spanish capital since Jarama in 1981.
No other team had been informed of Ferrari's plans, catching rivals off guard, including McLaren.
“We were not informed that Ferrari had this session in Madrid,” Stella told media including RacingNews365.
“Actually, I think some images of filming were shared with the other teams.
“The tyres are not really representative, and the track conditions will have been horribly slippery because it's just a construction site.
Despite those conditions, Stella conceded that Ferrari's early visit to the venue could still provide a marginal edge when the entire grid arrives in September.
“There's always a little bit that you can learn. You have some references, especially with this year's power unit, you get some references such that you don't start from data that you have to completely assume because nobody has been there.
“So possibly a little bit of an advantage. It arrived to us as a surprise, but nothing that goes against the regulations.
“We are thankful that at least we could see the track from the onboard.
“After a few laps in Madrid, we will have forgotten about that, and we will just get along with just focusing on the race weekend.”
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