Formula 1 is about to enter completely unfamiliar territory.
The Spanish Grand Prix heads to Madrid this weekend for the debut of the Madring, and there is one corner everyone wants to see.
La Monumental.
The 547-meter, 24% banked Turn 12 is unlike anything else on the current F1 calendar. Drivers will spend roughly six seconds navigating the sweeping 270-degree corner.
And there is an even crazier detail.
The exit crests upward enough to briefly leave drivers looking at the sky.
Carlos Sainz has already described the corner as blind, saying the first thing drivers see is essentially the sky.
That is not exactly comforting heading into a Grand Prix.
The Madring features 22 corners and stretches 5.4 kilometers around Madrid’s IFEMA and Valdebebas areas. The fastest sections could see cars reach roughly 340 kph.
Nobody has a real race reference yet.
Most drivers have only experienced the circuit through simulator work. That makes Friday’s first practice session particularly fascinating.
Even the championship leader has no idea exactly what to expect.
Kimi Antonelli arrives in Madrid leading George Russell by 66 points after winning five straight races. Mercedes has dominated much of the season, but a completely new circuit could shake things up.
Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso get a home race.
And everyone gets to find out whether La Monumental is brilliant, terrifying or somehow both.
A brand-new F1 circuit.
A massive banked corner.
340-kph speeds.
And almost zero real-world data.
Madrid could be about to give Formula 1 its newest obsession.
Or its newest nightmare.
Either way, La Monumental is going to be must-watch television.