F1’s newest race expected to be an ‘incredible’ thrill ride

Fresh off a thrilling Italian Grand Prix, won by Kimi Antonelli in comeback fashion, Formula 1 heads to Spanish Grand Prix, now located on a new street circuit in Madrid.

According to those who have tested the circuit, the drivers can expect an “incredible,” “adrenaline-fueled” experience.

We will see if that lives up to the hype.

Here are the main storylines for the Spanish Grand Prix.

Was Monza a coronation?

Kimi Antonelli did not clinch the Drivers’ Championship with his stunning recovery drive, and win, at the Italian Grand Prix.

But his performance certainly felt like a coronation.

Antonelli entered his home race with a 59-point lead over teammate George Russell as well as Lewis Hamilton in the Drivers’ Championship standings. But with Mercedes opting to change the power unit on his W17 for the weekend, he faced a drop to the back of the grid despite advancing to Q3 during Saturday’s qualifying hour.

Despite starting down in P19, the young driver carved his way through the field, winning the race ahead of Russell and Max Verstappen.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff described it as a full-circle moment, given how Antonelli crashed during an FP1 session at Monza during his F1 debut two seasons ago.

“It’s how the circle closed. Two years ago, it was probably the toughest moment in his career for himself and his family. A moment where everyone doubted, including himself.

“Then, two years later, it’s the biggest glory, the biggest moment of his career that’s probably going to be one of his biggest moments overall in the future.”

It was also a bitter pill for Russell, who began the day on the front row with a chance to carve into Antonelli’s lead in the standings.

Instead, he lost ground to his teammate, as Antonelli now has a 66-point lead over Russell.

The British driver dismissed talk of a comeback following the Italian Grand Prix.

Yeah, I mean, you know, definitely Kimi’s in control of it and, you know, he’s deserving to be in control of it. For me personally, I’m not even thinking about a fight or a comeback or anything. I’m just focused on taking it race by race and trying to maximise every single weekend. You know, he’s performing incredibly well. It’s going to be exceptionally challenging to overcome that gap, so I’m just sort of accepting that it is what it is and I’m just going to enjoy it from here on in and try and win as many races as possible.

As the celebrations wore on at Monza, Wolff opened up about how he knew one of his drivers would be standing on the top step of the podium, even with Antonelli starting at the back of the field.

“I thought one of the two [Mercedes drivers] is going to win.

“Either George because he was on pole [for the restart] or Kimi because he’s going to walk over water here in Monza. And I felt that yesterday also.”

Antonelli certainly walked over water on Sunday at Monza.

And after a drive like that, it does feel like he’ll keep walking straight to a title.

The debut of the Madring

This weekend marks an all-new Spanish Grand Prix, at the brand new Madring.

This is a street circuit that runs around the IFEMA Exhibition Centre in Madrid, and according to race promoters features some technical sections as well as La Monumental, an imposing banked corner.

Ahead of the inaugural race, Formula 3 drivers took to the Madring for a final testing session. MP Motorsport driver Bruno del Pino described the circuit in a media report from race promoters as “the most adrenaline-fueled circuit of the entire season,” adding that “the adrenaline is at 100% on every lap.”

Van Amersfoort Racing driver Théophile Naël compared the circuit to two historic tracks in motorsport: Monaco and Macau. “I feel very comfortable in Macau and Monaco, so I really like this circuit because some sections remind me of them,” said Naël.

“When you are flat out, you can feel the G-forces. Inside the car, it is incredible.”

Another driver who has taken to the new circuit is Carlos Sainz, who gave F1 analyst Lawrence Barretto a ride around the track:

SB Nation spoke with the Williams driver ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, following his first session at the Madring.

“I think Madrid is gonna be, I hope it’s gonna be, a special, special race,” started Sainz.

“I think it’s important that when a new track comes into a calendar that it has character, and it’s different. It’s charismatic. And I think Madrid from the laps I did the other day has quite a bit of that, has very interesting sections of a track with a massive banking corner that ends up in a huge compression that you only see the sky for a bit,” described the Spanish driver.

“So it has some interesting corners, and I’m hoping the event is gonna run well. We are used to creating or hosting pretty big events during the year. People say that Madrid is a great city, so I’m hoping that people will enjoy it.”

Tension at Ferrari

There seems to be, let’s say some tension, at Ferrari.

The Italian Grand Prix is, along with the British Grand Prix, the longest-running race in F1, and the race that brings the Tifosi out in full voice. It means everything to the team in red, and to their drivers.

Which might explain the opening-lap scrap between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, that shuffled Hamilton down the pecking order and left the Tifosi scratching their heads. That bewilderment turned to anguish moments later, when Leclerc rocketed off the racing line and into the tire barrier, ending his day early.

Speaking after the race to Sky Sports F1, Hamilton called for some rules of engagement at Ferrari.

“I think it comes down to rules of engagement,” said Hamilton after the Italian Grand Prix

“When I was at Mercedes, we had written rules of engagement. We never really, really had it too bad. There was a moment between me and Nico [Rosberg] a couple of times, but more often not, it was good.

“Here, there are no rules. We need to address that.”

Now, last weekend was not the first time the simmering tension at Ferrari seemed to boil over, as this occurred early in Hamilton’s Ferrari tenure. Let’s revisit the 2025 Miami Grand Prix for a moment, when radio messages aired by the official F1TV channel highlighted some frustration from Hamilton at how things were unfolding on the track. That led team principal Frederic Vasseur to try and cool things down when speaking with the media, including SB Nation, after the race in Ferrari’s hospitality space.

Will there be defined rules of engagement by the time Hamilton and Leclerc arrive in Madrid?

Red Bull lineup and Yuki Tsunoda’s future

Isack Hadjar will officially miss his third consecutive race this weekend.

As first reported by long-time F1 journalist Adam Cooper on Sunday, and confirmed by the teams on Monday, Hadjar has been ruled out for the Spanish Grand Prix due to the wrist injury he suffered while training during the summer shutdown.

That means another week of Liam Lawson at Red Bull, and another week for Yuki Tsunoda at Visa Cash App Racing Bulls.

Lawson finished seventh at the Dutch Grand Prix in place of Hadjar, but could not find the points at Monza as he came across the line in P14. As for Tsunoda, he finished a heart-breaking P11 at Zandvoort, but managed to secure his first point of the year with a P10 at the Italian Grand Prix. That was not without some controversy, as he lined up in the wrong grid spot ahead of an early restart, which required an additional Formation Lap.

That incident was noted by race officials, but Tsunoda avoided a penalty. Audi is set to request a right of review of that decision, as the F1 Sporting Regulations seem to require a pit lane start for a driver whose actions require a second Formation Lap.

But this news gives Tsunoda at least one more chance to improve his stock for the 2027 motorsport season. While currently a reserve, Tsunoda has been linked with teams in both F1 and even IndyCar. However, at least one of those doors may be closing, as Thomas Maher of Planet F1 reported on Monday that Tsunoda is likely out of the running for a seat at Haas.

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