Montoya calls Madrid's new Madring circuit the first 2026 F1 track he genuinely wants to drive

Juan Pablo Montoya has declared Madrid’s brand-new Madring circuit the most exciting track on the 2026 Formula 1 calendar, saying it is the first venue this season that has made him genuinely want to get back behind the wheel. The former F1 race winner made the comments ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, having completed a track walk of the 5.4km, 22-turn semi-street layout in the Spanish capital.

The race follows last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where Mercedes locked out the top two positions with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell — leaving the field now facing a very different challenge at an entirely new circuit.

Speaking on F1 TV’s Weekend Warm-Up show, Montoya was effusive after both walking the track on foot and driving it in a road car a few weeks earlier. “I walked it this morning, and I’ve been in a road car a couple of weeks ago. I’ve seen it a few times,” the Colombian said. “Unbelievable. Honestly, I do a lot of track walks because my kid races in Formula 2, so we do track walks every race, and this was the first time I went, ‘Oo, I would like to drive this.’”

Montoya was particularly struck by the circuit’s elevation changes and blind corners, elements he felt the track map fails to convey. “Out of all the tracks we’ve been to this year, it’s the first time I’ve gone, ‘This would be unbelievable.’ I don’t think the track map does it justice because of the elevation and the blindness.”

The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner argued that the barrier-lined apexes are what separate Madring from more forgiving modern layouts. “A lot of the corners are old-style, with barriers inside and out, and they’re blind corners. You’re turning, and the guy who gets closer to the apex is the guy who is closest to the wall, and I think that brings a lot of cool things because when you open the apexes, anybody can do it.”

“Anybody can run a wide line, a little here, a little there, but if you put a barrier on it, you’ve got to be perfect. And I think that is just the level of commitment you need to bring. It’s incredible,” he added.

For the current F1 grid, the Madring circuit represents a genuine unknown — no historical data, no tyre reference points, and a layout that, by Montoya’s account, will punish any driver who fails to fully commit.