The Spanish Grand Prix's Madring circuit has received a thumbs-up from several leading Formula 1 drivers as they praised its high-commitment layout, although not everyone is as impressed. The 5.4km track combines street-circuit unforgivingness with medium to high-speed corners. After two practice sessions, verdicts are in on F1's newest venue.

"Honestly, it's more difficult than some tracks," said Oscar Piastri, who ended fifth as McLaren struggled. "There's a lot of sections here where you're not really brushing up against the walls... it's pretty enjoyable." Other than an FP2 crash for Arvid Lindblad, running was completed without major issues. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc said: "It was exciting to drive on the Madrid circuit today. It's a challenging street track... I was quite impressed with the amount of grip."

George Russell called it a "very high risk circuit," worrying overtaking would be "very tough." The biggest positive noises came from Madrid resident Sergio Perez: "Really cool track, really nice venue... definitely this is going to become the best race in Europe." Max Verstappen disagreed: "I'm not a fan of street circuits so that will never change. I will always prefer to drive on a track like Spa."