Ferrari came up with a clever trick to get a little edge at the new Spanish Grand Prix.
Ferrari has come up with a smart way to get ahead of their Formula 1 rivals before the first Spanish Grand Prix at Madrid’s new street circuit, the Madring. The F1 season will head to this new track in September, making it the second race weekend in Spain after the Barcelona-Catalunya GP in June.
That June race was won by Lewis Hamilton, who secured his first win with Ferrari. Now, with Madrid taking over as the Spanish GP location, teams haven’t had much time to learn the new circuit.
The Madring is a street track built around Madrid’s IFEMA Exhibition Centre. It’s expected to offer lots of chances for overtaking and features the longest banked curve in Formula 1.
Every new track brings fresh challenges for drivers and teams. If Hamilton can win again in Spain and keep close in the championship fight, Ferrari’s early testing at the Madring might play a big part.
Motorsport.com reports that Hamilton and his teammate Charles Leclerc used Ferrari’s commercial filming time to explore the new circuit. Since the asphalt and pit building are ready, but many parts of the facility are still being finished, the drivers got a chance to learn the track lines and collect important data to help with car settings and race strategies.
Ferrari cleverly found a rule loophole that allowed them to use a filming day on this brand-new track, which usually isn’t allowed for testing old cars. Motorsport.com praised Ferrari’s smart and bold approach.
The team was quick to say their test wasn’t paid for by the Spanish GP organizers; it was done using their own commercial filming limit of 200 km.
Ferrari was open about the day too, sharing lots of photos and videos of Hamilton and Leclerc exploring the Madring on social media. Their posts showed both drivers in action and gave fans a sneak peek at parts of the new track.
Hamilton has been closing in on leaders Kimi Antonelli and George Russell after four podiums in the last five races. Leclerc has also taken advantage of Ferrari’s improved top speed, winning the British GP at Silverstone.
Meanwhile, Antonelli has had a couple of disappointing finishes, and Hamilton will be eager to cut down the 32-point gap to him at the next race in Belgium at Spa.