Four-time world champion, Max Verstappen warns of "big shunts" at a track that kills cars.

The Madring makes its debut this weekend with a certain reputation already firmly in place.

Williams boss, James Vowles has described it as a track the "kills cars", following a two-day F3 test which witnessed 19 red flags and 11 cars getting up close and personal with the barriers.

"There were three broken chassis, broken suspensions," he told Sport. "OK, they're Formula 3 drivers, but it's a track that kills cars."

"It is probably more challenging than I thought," Carlos Sainz, who has been heavily involved in promoting the track, told the official F1 website. "I thought it would be a flat-out, easy flat-out corner and just like an acceleration corner," he added, referring to the already infamous 550 metre, banked corner, La Monumental.

"It's turned out to be much more challenging, at least in the simulator in a good way. With all that banking, all that control of the car through there, it will be a big challenge.

"I think it has a mix of Jeddah and Baku, which are probably the two most challenging tracks for a driver, and a bit of Singapore," said the Madrid-born driver. "I think it's a track that has quite a bit of character when you drive it in the simulator."

Looking ahead to the weekend, Max Verstappen, who has driven the track on the simulator, fears carnage as drivers get to grips with the new track.

"It's going to be very difficult," he said. "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 of creating some big shunts in some places.

"It reminds me a little bit of Jeddah in a way, with fast corners and the walls being very close," he added.

"It's hard to predict how we'll perform there. We've practiced on the simulator and it seems like a more challenging track to drive, as with most street circuits, especially because there are so many tricky corners.

"That said, it's a new circuit for everyone and hopefully we can hit the ground running and make a strong start."