– The Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring in Madrid is turning into a big surprise bag: Most Formula 1 drivers will complete their first laps on Friday when the pit lane light turns green for Free Practice (all sessions in the live ticker!). The Formula 3 drivers, on the other hand, already know what to expect.
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Because the junior class was already out testing on the new track in Spain over two weeks ago. Formula 3 driver and Ferrari junior Tuukka Taponen described the new circuit as “quite physical” and “very demanding” and explained how challenging it is to nail the perfect lap there.
“It is a very difficult track,” says the Finn. “There are many corners – 22 in total – so it is not easy to put together a clean lap. It is also physically quite demanding on long runs and race stints and very challenging because you have to stay focused the entire time.”
“The walls are quite close, so even a small mistake can cost you a lot.” The young talents already felt this during the test: Due to several accidents at different points, the session had to be repeatedly interrupted. It is quite possible that this pattern will continue during the race weekend.
“The first sector is probably the most difficult”
Because Taponen particularly points out the tricky curbs that can catapult cars into the concrete walls, as well as the difficult compromise between pushing to the maximum and the necessary caution. “At least for us in Formula 3, it was possible to make a pretty big difference in every sector.”
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“I would say the first sector is probably the hardest, especially the second chicane,” says the Formula 3 driver. “Everyone goes over the curbs there, and if you hit one at a slightly wrong angle or carry a bit too much speed, you can end up in the wall.”
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“You want to push exactly to the limit: If you go slightly beyond it, you risk quite a lot, but if you don’t push enough, you can lose a lot of lap time. Towards the end of the sector, there are also a few high-speed corners where the tires already start to overheat a bit.”
“Grip level is not the same in every corner”
“That makes it quite difficult to be fast and consistent throughout the entire lap,” Taponen reports from his experience. Although all drivers will have prepared as best as possible on the simulator for the new circuit, the lack of real data proves to be a potential obstacle, especially in this case.
“Once you are there, reality can be quite different [from the simulator],” the Finn knows. “The grip level is not the same in every corner: Some feel like they have a bit less grip, others a bit more. That will be one of the big challenges.”
At least Ferrari has the advantage of having already completed a filming day on the Madring at the beginning of July and thus also gained first experience with the track. However, the pace back then was by no means at race speed, and only a few laps were allowed on the half-finished track.
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“They will also be traveling at very high speeds, with close walls and very little room for error,” says Taponen. “Putting together a clean lap while still pushing to the limit will be difficult.” So it is likely to be a chaotic weekend …
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