The first Spanish Grand Prix held at the Madring left a bitter taste for many drivers: the race turned out to be extremely poor in overtaking, transformed into a boring procession.
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The first Formula 1 race organized on the Madring did not live up to all its promises. Kimi Antonelli won on Sunday after a particularly calm Grand Prix, marked by a glaring lack of overtaking opportunities.
The observation was widely shared in the paddock. Gabriel Bortoleto even admitted to having “almost wanted to sleep,” while several drivers felt that certain sections of the circuit simply prevented attacks.
Three zones are notably in the crosshairs for 2027: the chicane of turns 5 and 6, turn 13, and the sequence leading to turn 20.
Norris calls for removal of turns 18 and 19
Third at the finish, Lando Norris believes some improvements are obvious: “I think there are obvious changes to be made. We should remove turns 18 and 19. They serve no purpose. We should simply have a straighter line up to a hairpin ”, said the McLaren driver.
The Briton notably proposes to transform the end of the lap to create a real braking zone: “For me, it’s not yet a great racing circuit. It’s very good in qualifying. But we should go straight from turn 17 to 20, with a much wider entry, a bit like the first turn in Austin, and a big hairpin.”
Norris also believes the sequence of turns 5, 6, and 7 is problematic: “Having to turn and brake at the same time goes against what we are looking for to encourage overtaking.”
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Despite his criticisms, the reigning world champion believes the Madring could become a very good circuit with some adjustments: “It’s a fun layout to drive and it can become an excellent racing circuit. ”
Antonelli: “In the race, we just get stuck”
Even winner Kimi Antonelli acknowledges that the current layout limits attacking opportunities too much: “It clearly doesn’t create overtaking opportunities and it doesn’t encourage trying a move, because in 80% of cases, you risk contact”, explains the Mercedes driver.
Antonelli notably takes the example of the second chicane: “If I had tried to turn there with Lando, we probably would have touched and could have ended up in the wall blocking the track. That wouldn’t have been very nice. On a lap, the circuit is nice, but in the race, we just get stuck behind.”
Oliver Bearman is even harsher: “You don’t have to be a genius to design a circuit that allows overtaking”, says the Haas driver, citing Baku as an example despite much greater urban constraints. According to him, the entire area between turns 5 and 17 could have been better utilized.
Alex Albon shares this view and believes relatively simple changes could immediately improve the situation: “A big part of the problem lies between turns 3 and 5. This whole area needs to be rethought, perhaps with straighter braking zones. The chicane must be removed. It’s good for visual spectacle, but not for racing. ”
The Williams driver also wants a modification of turn 13, located in the banked part of the circuit: “The banking is impressive, but it doesn’t really do the job at turn 13. Maybe it should be made a slower turn, with a larger braking zone.”
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