San Francisco Frontiers - Antonelli faces new challenge after stirring triumph in Monza

The 20-year-old, who last Sunday became the first Italian to win his home race at Monza since 1966, drives into uncharted territory as the Spanish capital hosts a race for the first time since June 1981, when the legendary Gilles Villeneuve won for Ferrari at Jarama.

This Sunday's race is to be held at the spectacular newly-completed Madring semi-street circuit, built in an exhibition centre close to Barajas airport.

It is the final Grand Prix in the European section of the season and will be the second in Spain this year after May's race at the Circuit de Catalunya.

The track is unlikely to deliver a dull or predictable spectacle, with its very fast opening sector followed by several medium and low-speed corners, including 90-degree turns that are expected to create incidents.

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen, buoyed by finishing third last week, where Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff had forecast Antonelli would "walk on water" to win from 19th on the grid, said he expected many crashes and stoppages.

"It's going to be very difficult," said Verstappen after trying the track on a simulator.

"It's not an easy track. If you do a few laps in a row, it's always hard to cross the line and say 'I nailed the lap'.

"It's very hard. It also has a tendency to create some big shunts in some places."

- 'La Monumental' will attract attention -

The circuit's newly-laid asphalt surface will add to the challenge, being likely to offer little grip, but it is La Monumental, a high-speed banked, horseshoe shaped corner, that should attract attention.

It is 550 metres long and has a blind crest on the exit.

"The characteristics are much closer to somewhere like Budapest or Zandvoort," said Wolff, whose team have won nine of the opening 13 races.

"We are therefore expecting a very close-fought weekend."

Of those nine, Antonelli has won seven, a single-season record for an Italian driver, and title rival George Russell, now 66 points adrift, two.

The others were won by world champion Lando Norris, with two, and the Ferrari drivers -- Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.

Ferrari visited Madrid in July for a filming day when the circuit was unfinished.

"It was very hot and very dusty," said Hamilton, third in the drivers' standings but now 76 points behind Antonelli.

"It looks like it will be a qualifying lap kind of circuit... "There's not really any straights so it's a difficult place to overtake."

Madrid-born Williams driver Carlos Sainz, who is an ambassador for the circuit, echoed Verstappen's view when he said he expected to see many safety car interventions, red flag stoppages and yellow flags.

He and Fernando Alonso will carry home hopes, but with little conviction after a series of disappointing results that suggest there are unlikely to be too many surprises.

That is unlikely to seriously worry a massive crowd with more than 350,000 expected to attend overall.

Red Bull will be without Isack Hadjar, recovering from a broken wrist, for a third consecutive race, with Liam Lawson substituting while Yuki Tsunoda continues in his place at Racing Bulls.

It will be the first new circuit in use since the introduction of Las Vegas three years ago, the sixth to host a Spanish Grand Prix and the 78th different track on the F1 circuit since 1950.

I.Wright--SFF