Max Verstappen (Image: AP)Ten years after Max Verstappen announced himself to the Formula 1 world in Spain, the four-time world champion is in the country for a completely new challenge, the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at Madrid’s spectacular Madring circuit.Verstappen heads into this weekend’s race sixth in the 2026 Drivers’ Championship with 127 points, 140 behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli. The Red Bull driver is still searching for his first Grand Prix victory of the season, although he has five podium finishes so far.The timing could hardly be more fitting. Spain is the country where Verstappen's extraordinary F1 journey took a giant leap forward in 2016, when an 18-year-old Verstappen won on his Red Bull debut at Barcelona and became the youngest Grand Prix winner in Formula 1 history.The race that changed Verstappen's career foreverVerstappen arrived at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix having just been promoted from Toro Rosso to Red Bull. What followed was one of the most memorable debut victories in F1 history. Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg collided on the opening lap, taking both championship contenders out of the race. Verstappen was then thrust into a battle with Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen.Red Bull's two-stop strategy put the teenager in position to fight for victory, but it was Verstappen's composure under relentless pressure that ultimately made the difference. He held off Räikkönen to win by just 0.616 seconds, becoming the youngest race winner in F1 history at 18 years and 228 days. The record still stands.It was also the first victory of Verstappen's Red Bull career and the first F1 win by a Dutch driver.From Barcelona to MadridThere is one major difference this time around. Verstappen will not be returning to the same Barcelona circuit where he made history. Madrid is hosting the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend at the brand-new Madring, while Barcelona-Catalunya already hosted its own race in June.The Madrid event marks Formula 1's return to the Spanish capital after roughly four decades. Madrid previously hosted F1 at Jarama, but the Madring brings the sport much closer to the heart of the city.Madring: 22 corners and a spectacular banked turnThe new circuit presents Verstappen and the rest of the grid with an unknown challenge. The 5.474km Madring features 22 corners, a mixture of permanent track sections and public roads, and straights where F1 cars are expected to reach around 340 km/h.Its biggest talking point is Turn 12, known as La Monumental. The huge semicircular corner stretches for around 550 metres and features banking of up to 24%. Drivers are expected to spend roughly six seconds negotiating the sweeping section, with grandstands surrounding the turn.That combination of high speed, elevation changes, heavy braking zones and the unusual banking could make the first race at the Madring particularly unpredictable.Verstappen arrives with ground to make upThe Red Bull star enters Madrid sixth in the championship on 127 points. Antonelli leads the standings on 267 points, followed by Mercedes teammate George Russell on 201, with Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc also ahead of Verstappen.Verstappen, however, comes into the weekend with some momentum after finishing third at Monza in the previous round. Antonelli won the Italian Grand Prix. The Spanish Grand Prix therefore offers Verstappen an opportunity to close the gap, and perhaps create another memorable chapter in the country where his extraordinary F1 story began.