Charles Leclerc reveals inside details of F1's newest track after exclusive first drive

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has shared his thoughts on F1’s newest track as he was given the chance to try it out alongside his seven-time World Champion team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

The Scuderia pair were allowed the opportunity to try out the brand new street circuit during a filming day at the Madring back in July.

That comes ahead of the 5.4km circuit allowing the Spanish Grand Prix to return to the capital city of Madrid for the first time in four decades when it hosts the paddock on September 13.

Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were allowed 200km of practice time between them on the layout that features 22 corners, making it the most on this year's calendar. Only after Saudi Arabia's Jeddah Corniche Circuit, which looks increasingly likely to be axed due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

However, perhaps most uniquely the track boasts a 547-metre right hander banked at 24 per cent, which is the maximum permitted by the FIA, where drivers will experience G-force of around 4G, the equivalent to a rocket launch, for six seconds.

The Monegasque driver spoke of the corner when he said: “It’s a very special corner, it’s a corner where I feel in qualifying we’ll have to be very brave because it’s going to be on the limit.

"So that's going to be really cool, and I do believe it can become one of the most iconic corners of the season, especially once the grandstand is built because I think that will also add to the experience of that corner."

The banking on the corner of La Monumental, is made from excavated earth taken out from other areas of track construction and will be the longest corner on the F1 calendar and most uniquely of all, features a blind exit into the 90-degree turn 13.

Leclerc’s former team-mate, Carlos Sainz, also went to try out the track and told The Race: “They've designed probably one of the most unique corners I've ever seen in my life.

“There is this almost 180-degree banked corner that ends up in a change of compression where you don't see anything, then you go down while at the same time you're banking, they've been pretty bold with the design.”

Spanish Grand Prix’s director general, Luis Garcia Abad added: “It was one of our challenges, to receive approval from the FIA, for this maximum inclination that we managed to agree on. It's similar to Zandvoort, but longer.”

Speaking on the circuit as a whole, Leclerc seemed quietly confident that it could suit his driving style when he said: “I like city tracks in general, so I have little doubt that I'll love Madring.

“Whether it will fit me or not, I don’t really know, but one thing is for sure. You will have to go full commitment and this is what I always enjoy on city tracks.

“But, it looks like a cool track, it felt like a very challenging track, which has all the characteristics that I like. Therefore, I cannot wait to try it properly once we go there for the race weekend.”