“If you hand me the circuit layout, I’ll take care of fixing it.” Those were Max Verstappen’s words just after stepping out of the car on Friday in Madring. At that moment, everyone realized that the new Madrid street circuit had a flaw: it looked challenging for a single lap, but overtaking was impossible.
A defect that the organization itself acknowledges. And indeed, in an interview with Motorsport, Luis García Abad, the director of the Spanish Grand Prix, has shown himself completely open to changing the layout for 2027. The goal is to enable overtaking and make the race entertaining. The FIA is already at work.
The FIA is already working to make overtaking possible at Madring
Only four overtakes, fewer even than at the Monaco Grand Prix. That was the tally of the first Formula 1 race at IFEMA. That woeful figure had been anticipated since Friday, when everyone realized Madring was too narrow to overtake. The organizers are the first to be willing to change immediately.
In an interview with Motorsport, Luis García Abad, the track director, has confirmed that “the FIA has clearly defined how to improve the circuit layout, and we will be open to it because we will have to reconfigure the circuit for next year.” In other words, changes are coming to Madring.
And the drivers’ complaints were unanimous from Friday, even from Carlos Sainz, the circuit ambassador. The organization of the Grand Prix was an absolute success, but the track failed. Now work is underway to determine which parts of the circuit need changing, with curve 5, curve 13, and curve 20 as the major targets.
García Abad states that “we have the space, we have the venue, we have the facilities, we have the capacity to do it. I am sure that FOM, the FIA and we ourselves will try. If we can improve something, we will do it.” Remember that Madrid signed a ten-year contract with Formula 1, so the Spanish Grand Prix is here to stay for a long time.
That said, Madring’s chief also notes that “I truly believe that Saturday’s qualifying was very enjoyable, and in the race one car was faster than another and overtook. We can certainly improve, because after all we are not defining safety levels in some corners. But, without a doubt, we will attempt to introduce an improvement for next year.”
It is as evident that the Spanish Grand Prix was a triumph of organization as it is clear that the track must be improved for future seasons.
Images | Williams, Madring
