The new Madring circuit witnessed a dramatic incident ahead of its first Formula 1 race weekend as F2 driver Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak crashed into the barriers during the sole practice session.
The Thai driver escaped unhurt after his car burst into flames following the impact. Inthraphuvasak quickly got out of the vehicle and climbed over the wall, while marshals rushed to the scene to extinguish the fire.
The crash brought the F2 practice session to a halt, with the red flag coming out immediately. The session eventually resumed nearly 24 minutes later, with only around six minutes remaining.
The incident took place shortly before the first F1 practice session at the Madrid circuit, adding to the focus on safety at the new venue.
Madring Circuit faces safety questions
The F2 crash was not the first incident at the circuit during the race weekend. F3 practice had also been stopped following a crash.
The concerns had emerged even before the weekend, with 19 red-flag incidents reportedly recorded during an F3 test at the circuit. Eleven of those stoppages were caused by crashes.
The 5.4-kilometre Madring circuit has replaced Barcelona as the venue for the Spanish Grand Prix on the Formula 1 calendar. Its tight layout, high-speed sections and walls positioned close to the track have already attracted attention from drivers.
Four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen had warned about the potential consequences of even a small mistake at certain sections. “In some places, when you have a tiny moment, it can result in a crash,” Verstappen said ahead of the race weekend.
George Russell calls new F1 track ‘Crazy’
Mercedes driver George Russell was also taken aback by the number of red flags during F3 testing and described the circuit as “crazy”. “I heard about the 19 red flags in F3, and I was a bit surprised,” Russell said. “And then, after I drove it on the sim, I was surprised there were only 19 red flags. So, it’s a crazy circuit,” he added, as quoted by ESPN.
Russell went on to describe Madring as potentially one of the riskiest circuits on the F1 calendar because of its combination of high-speed corners and limited room for error.
“I would put it, arguably, as the riskiest circuit of the whole calendar, because you have real high-speed corners, sort of Jeddah-esque. The walls are very close. There’s no margin for error,” he said.
The Mercedes driver, however, pointed out that other circuits such as Baku also feature sections where drivers have little room for mistakes.
Pierre Gasly predicts more Red flags
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly also expects the demanding circuit to produce more stoppages during the weekend. “I’ll put my money on the red flag, that’s for sure,” Gasly said.
While he enjoyed driving the circuit on the simulator, Gasly acknowledged the challenge posed by the track’s layout and its close barriers. “I expect a very tricky track, challenging for us, which makes it good because you can always aim to do a bit more difference driving-wise,” he said.
Gasly compared the circuit to Monaco, where a small mistake can quickly have major consequences. “But again, it’s a type of track a bit like Monaco, where I think if you do a slight mistake, it can have big consequences straight away,” he added.
With the fiery F2 crash adding to the earlier F3 incidents, safety will remain a major talking point as Formula 1 begins its first race weekend at the Madring circuit.
