Kimi Antonelli says Madring is the most complicated circuit on the 2026 Formula 1 calendar, both to drive and to set up the car.
As drivers prepare to take on the new challenge of the Madring, the track’s twisting layout is proving to be a talking point.
But it seems that the drivability of the track is not the only headache for drivers to address this weekend, with teams also facing stark choices.
Antonelli has labelled the Madring as the most complicated circuit of 2026 for the drivers, citing the many undulating corners that make up the circuit.
“I think it’s one of the most complicated tracks,” Antonelli said to media on Thursday, including Motorsport Week.
. “It’s the most complicated track of the year on driving side and also engineering side because driving-wise, you know, you’ve got all kinds of corners.”
“You’ve got chicanes, fast corners, bent corners, medium speed,” he said. “Also, braking, you know, you’ve got a lot of straight line braking but a lot of braking where you’re actually still turning.”
He pointed to one corner in particular. “For example, Turn 17 is a corner where when you hit the brake, you’re still turning and then you straighten the car,” he said. “So, it’s very tricky track, very challenging but very exciting at the same time with zero margin of mistake.”
Kimi Anotonelli explains Madring car setup dilemma
Antonelli said the circuit is equally difficult from an engineering standpoint. “I say it’s also complicated on the engineering side because I think finding a setup that is a good compromise for the whole lap is not going to be easy,” he said.
“You can find a setup that helps you, you know, in the chicanes when you need to cut kerbs or a setup that helps you in the fast corners,” he said. “But to find a setup that is good over curves, good on changing direction and good on fast corners is going to be difficult because, you know, whenever you do a setup, there’s always pros and cons. It helps in some ways in some corners but in others, it might make your life a bit harder.”
He said the team has prepared extensively in the simulator but will not know how accurate that preparation was until cars hit the track. “We’ve done a lot of work in the sim,” Antonelli said. “We kind of got an idea but for sure tomorrow on track, we will see for the first time how it’s going to be for real.”
Antonelli’s concerns over car setup were echoed by other drivers across Media Day at Madrid, with FP1 likely to create more questions than answers.
Discussion about this post