“Even a small mistake can cost you a lot” – How Madring will challenge F1 drivers

Ferrari Formula 1 junior Tuukka Taponen has described the new Madring circuit as “quite physical” and “very demanding”, explaining how tough perfection is to reach there.

Taponen and other Formula 3 drivers were out on track for a two-day test at Madrid’s new circuit on 24-25 August, and the scale of the challenge noticeably emerged as successive crashes caused five red flags in one single afternoon.

“It’s a very difficult track,” the MP Motorsport driver said. “There are a lot of corners – 22 in total – so it’s not easy to put together a clean lap. It’s also quite physical over long runs and race stints, and very demanding because you need to stay focused all the time. The walls are quite close, so even a small mistake can cost you a lot.”

Taponen pointed to tricky kerbs that can propel cars into barriers, and an elusive compromise between pushing and prudence, as some of the main factors to master at the Spanish circuit.

“At least for us in Formula 3, it was possible to make quite a big difference in every sector,” the Finn added.

Madring Test

“I would say the first sector is probably the most difficult, especially the second chicane. Everyone rides the kerbs there, and if you take one at a slightly wrong angle or carry a little too much speed, you can end up in the wall. You want to push right to the limit: if you go slightly over 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, by which point the tyres are already starting to overheat a little. That makes it quite difficult to be quick and consistent throughout the lap.”

Everyone will have prepared in the simulator, F1 drivers and junior racers alike, but the lack of real-world data is a hindrance in this specific case. Here, Taponen’s track action allowed him to notice the track’s grip was inconsistent.

“Once you get there, the reality can be quite different [from the sim],” he explained. “The grip level isn’t the same in every corner: some feel a little less grippy, others a little more. That is going to be one of the big challenges for Charles [Leclerc] and Lewis [Hamilton]. They will also be travelling at very high speeds, with the walls close and very small margins for error. Putting together a clean lap while still pushing to the limit is going to be difficult.”

Taponen is going into F3’s season finale with no title chance as he concludes his second campaign at this level. The Ferrari protege claimed his first podium finish of the season last time out in Monza and, incredibly, lies just 12 points adrift of third-placed Ernesto Rivera – but six spots lower. Meanwhile, consistent frontrunners Freddie Slater and Ugo Ugochukwu will battle it out for the crown.