Carlos Sainz hoping to have “a bit of an effect” on home race in Madrid

Williams star Carlos Sainz came out and spoke at length about the Midrid street race, which is set to debut in the F1 calendar next year. The Spaniard reflected on the circuit layout and revealed that he hopes to have an effect on certain details of the street race.

The speculations around a street race in Madrid being introduced in the F1 calendar began in 2023 before the news was confirmed in 2024. The 2026 F1 calendar was recently confirmed by the authorities, with the Madrid GP set to take place on September 13.

Carlos Sainz is a Madrid native with his father and former F1 driver Carlos Sainz Sr., having deep family roots in Spain’s capital city. As the date for the debut Madrid GP was confirmed, the Williams driver came out and revealed to influence the infrastructure for the street race is still being set up.

“Yeah, I’m an ambassador, so I’m aware of the track, where they’re building it, and now I’m trying to have a bit of an effect and influence in some corners to make sure they produce the right amount of overtaking and show,” said Carlos Sainz

“I don’t think… maybe I’m a bit late to the advice for the first year, but hopefully we will progress and we will make not only a good event, which I’m sure it will be, but also a good show on the racing side.As modern F1 tracks nowadays, it’s important when they come in new to the calendar to have a bit of character and a bit of personality,” he added

While the circuit layout cannot be changed much since it's a street race, changes like the width at the corner entry and exit, along with the curbs, can be made.

Carlos Sainz detailed how his input for the Madrid GP will improve “overtaking”

Many street circuits on the F1 calendar, like Miami, Monaco, and Singapore, don't encourage overtaking, which makes the race dull. Carlos Sainz hence wants to have his input in making these changes, which will make the street race optimal for the drivers and the viewers.

F1 Grand Prix of Canada - Qualifying - Source: Getty

The Spaniard shared his input for the two major braking zones for the street race. He said,

“I’m trying to help is in the two main overtaking zones to make sure that the braking zone and the approaching of the cars and the way the corner opens up and the braking is wide enough and is big enough to produce overtaking.”

The street circuit will be 5.4 kilometres long and will feature 22 turns. Part of the circuit will pass through the city while a small part will be built on private land, including the iconic long swooping corner with 24⁰ banking.