GEORGE RUSSELL has expressed safety fears over the “mental” new Madring which has been dubbed the “car killer”.
The 28-year-old British driver was speaking to the media just as an F2 car burst into flames on Friday.
Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak slammed into the wall and his car ended up in an inferno during Free Practice at F1’s first new venue in three-years.
Fortunately, the Thai racing driver appeared to emerge from the crash unscathed, but it sparked fears for the F1 drivers who had two practice sessions later in the day.
Even four-time world champion Max Verstappen, arguably the most fearless driver on the grid, said the Madring was a potential “car killer.”
Lewis Hamilton said it is the most difficult track he has seen since Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
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Russell said: “Christ. This circuit is mental.
“I would put this as a circuit as having less margin than Monaco. Purely because of the speed.
“In Monaco, the walls are closer, but because you’re going slower, if you make a mistake, you’re not into the wall as quickly.”
The F2 crash yesterday occurred at turn 19 of the track based in the north-east of the Spanish capital, which has already been criticised by many top drivers.
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The warning signs at the Madring, which is hosting its first ever F1 Grand Prix this weekend, began in August.
During a chaotic two-day test for Formula 3 that month, a whopping 19 red flags came out.
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To make matters worse, the red flags were dotted around the circuit, meaning there are many danger zones for the F1 drivers to worry about.
The track itself is 5.4km with 22 corners, while cars are expected to reach a staggering 340km/h (211mph) on the fastest sections.
Turn 12 has turned heads for the spectacularly banked La Monumental, featuring up to 13.5 degrees of banking.
The circuit has been likened to Monaco, but instead of a backdrop of the French Riviera, there is an industrial estate.
Russell said on Thursday’s media day: “It’s a crazy circuit. I would put it as arguably the most risky circuit of the whole calendar because you have real high-speed corners, sort of Jeddah-esque.
“The walls are very close, so there’s no margin for error,
“When I heard about the 19 red flags in F3, I was a bit surprised. And then after I drove on the sim, I was surprised there was only 19 red flags.”
The tight corners, very few straights and lack of heavy braking zones mean there are not many obvious overtaking opportunities.
Fans should be braced for a nail-biting qualifying shootout in Madrid, but Sunday’s race may not live up to that.
Monza last time out saw table topper Kimi Antonelli claim a stunning victory from 19th at the grid to extend his lead over Rusell to 76 points.
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Ferrari driver Hamilton fell 10 points behind Russell as the Brit completed a Mercedes one-two.
Hamilton added: “It’s a massively challenging circuit. Like, of all the new tracks that I’ve gone to, this one and Saudi Arabia are like the two closest in terms of how difficult it was to get on top of the car and find the right lines.”