Race Madring Before Formula 1 Does

This weekend, Formula 1 races at Circuito de Madring for the first time. For sim racers, however, the circuit has been open for months.

Madring arrived with the F1 25: 2026 Season Pack in June, giving players the rare opportunity to learn a completely new Grand Prix circuit before its first Formula 1 race. With the Spanish Grand Prix taking place this weekend, now is the perfect time to put that preparation to use.

And there's never been a better time to try the 2026 Season Pack, with recent patch adding more features and fixes, and a free weekend available for Steam (from Thursday, September 10 at 17:00 UTC until Monday, September 14 at 17:00 UTC) and XBOX (from Wednesday, September 9 at 22:00 UTC, with access continuing until Monday, September 14 at 20:00 UTC).

At 5.4 km with 22 corners, Madring combines public roads around Madrid's IFEMA exhibition center with sections constructed specifically for the circuit.

It is a difficult track to categorize. Fast sections are interrupted by tight chicanes, elevation changes, and sequences where the barriers sit close to the racing line. Some corners invite you to attack the kerbs, while others can punish relatively small mistakes.

Recent running with real racing cars has provided the first indication of just how demanding the finished circuit could be. Formula 3 testing produced several incidents across different parts of the lap, with drivers discovering that there are plenty of places where getting slightly offline can have significant consequences.

The defining feature is Turn 12, known as La Monumental.

This enormous 270-degree banked right-hander features up to a 24% gradient. Zandvoort's banking is steeper, but La Monumental is approached at much higher speed, making it unlike anything else on the current Formula 1 calendar.

There are multiple possible lines, and the banking encourages you to carry more speed than initially feels comfortable. Finding the fastest approach also depends on how well you negotiate the preceding corners, making the entire middle section of the lap particularly satisfying to learn.

Learning Madring before this weekend can change how you watch the race.

After enough laps, the circuit stops looking like an unfamiliar sequence of corners. You'll know where braking feels awkward, where the walls seem particularly close, and where it is easy to lose time. When the Formula 1 drivers begin exploring those same limits in Friday practice, you'll already have some idea of the challenges they face.

So before the first real cars head out onto Madring, try it yourself.

If you're using a Fanatec setup, our F1 25: 2026 Season Pack guide also includes our recommended force feedback and Tuning Menu settings to help you get ready for the weekend.