Friday’s free practice for the Spanish Grand Prix is the first opportunity for Formula 1 drivers to experience the Madring and get a first feel for the challenges of its 22 corners.
Only Carlos Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton having tried the place before, albeit briefly, and on a very dusty Ferrari filming day.
Between them, the current grid has already completed thousands of laps in on-circuit driver team simulators, or DILs, as they are sometimes called internally.
The Sims have two main uses. Most often it is a crucial task for engineers as they prepare for race weekends, although in 2026 the added complexity of managing power deployment means the sessions are much more useful and critical for drivers than in the past. The other obvious use is for newbies to learn unfamiliar clues.
However, when a new venue is added to the F1 calendar, the simulator becomes a key learning tool for even the most experienced drivers. The complication is that without real-world data still fed into the system to improve the tracking model, accuracy can be compromised. The details available for historic tracks just aren’t there yet, especially with things like curbs and potholes.
On urban tracks in particular there is also the issue of grip levels, which change dramatically as the rubber decreases throughout the weekend. However, running simulation is an essential preparation tool.
“It seems like an interesting track.” Oscar Piastri says of Madring. “And in the simulator, once you get into the rhythm of things, it was fun to drive.
“I’m not sure if you can keep up with the same pace in real life, because I probably would have ruled out some cars if I tried to do everything like in the simulator! But I think it’s the same for everyone. So it seems like it has the potential to be fun.”
Piastri makes a fascinating point. Just like you would in your home video game, in the simulator F1 drivers really push themselves to the limit until they crash and learn where they need to control things.
In this era of cost limits, teams are more than happy for drivers to have their accidents in the virtual world.
“In the simulator you don’t drive in fear of hurting yourself or the car,” he says. Ollie Bearman. “So the goal of the simulator is to try to overcome all possible obstacles, in some way, because then you learn exactly where the limits are.
“You find them as efficiently as possible and by doing so, the same thing doesn’t happen on the real track, hopefully.”
“It’s definitely a tough track. But every street track I go to in the simulator, it’s pretty normal for you to bounce off the walls quite a bit, because that’s the beauty of the simulator.”
Lando Norris He also made some interesting observations about how the Sims are different from the real world.
“I think the main thing you always lack in a simulator is the feeling of speed,” says the current World Champion. “Also the fear of a street circuit. Of course, the most important question is grip, and grip allows you to have a lot of confidence, or very little. So that’s the most important question right away.”
“Otherwise, what you miss and what’s most different when you get in the car is the perception of acceleration and speed, and that’s what we miss most in a simulator that makes it real today. For the most part, everything I think about in the simulator is good.
“It’s just that when you take Turn 12 here, when you approach some of the corners, you approach pretty quickly. But in the simulator, you don’t necessarily feel like you’re approaching as quickly. So I think tomorrow will be the hardest part to adjust to.”
Audi Nico Hulkenberg agrees that grip is the biggest unknown as rubber builds up on a new track surface.
“When it comes to the final details, the grip level, all of this, it’s difficult, especially the first time in a new place,” says the German. “There is a lot of evolution on the track during the weekend.
“If the weather is stable, it changes quite a bit as the weekend goes on. But obviously the simulators are really good at giving you an idea of track pace, corner sequences and all that kind of stuff.”
fernando alonsoThe most experienced driver on the 2026 grid, he has seen his simulations improve dramatically over the decades. He has also tried many different venues throughout his time in the sport and still enjoys the challenge of discovering a new one.
“I like it when a new track comes along and you go into the simulator and you need to do a good five or six laps until you know exactly where you are on the track,” he says. “And then you need to do a good 50-60 laps to start optimizing racing lines, braking points and things like that.
“But that doesn’t take anything away from the first laps tomorrow because, again, there is a new feeling in the real world.”
“And in the simulator you restart it, start again from the pit lane and nothing happens. But tomorrow, if you crash, it will be the end of the day.”
“So the feeling of danger and adrenaline that you get in the real car is impossible to replicate. Tomorrow we will all have that, even if we know the track. So it doesn’t take anything away, and I think new tracks are always welcome and more fun.”