What Madring needs to fix to stop F1 drivers 'falling asleep' after dull debut

Formula 1 drivers have proposed a series of changes for the Madring circuit for 2027 following a processional Spanish Grand Prix. 

Andrea Kimi Antonelli won a dull debut race at the new Madrid street track that featured barely any overtaking, underlining fears going into the weekend that passing would be extremely difficult. 

With overtaking proving virtually impossible around the 22-corner hybrid street track, Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto admitted he “almost fell asleep” during a race that featured less action than the Monaco Grand Prix. 

Madring was heavily criticised by drivers throughout the weekend, with reigning world champion Lando Norris among those to suggest some “obvious changes”. 

Three key areas of the Madrid circuit have reportedly been targeted for improvement ahead of its return in 2027, including the Turn 5/6 chicane, Turn 13, and Turn 20. 

“I think there are some obvious changes they should make,” Norris said after finishing third in Sunday’s snooze-fest. 

“They should get rid of [Turns] 18, 19. Useless. Just have more of a straight into a hairpin. Like, I don’t know how someone looks at this design and goes, ‘mint.’

“I think they can make it into a track that’s good for racing, and I’m excited to come back here next year if they can make these changes because I think it’s a track that is good fun to drive and it can be a great racetrack. 

“To me, it’s not a great racetrack. It’s great in qualifying. But straight line from 17 straight to 20, have a much wider entry like Austin Turn 1 or Turn 10 in Austin, big hairpin. 

“You’ll create much better opportunities for everyone and you’ll be able to enjoy the race. There are some simple changes and maybe some trickier ones, like Turn 5, 6, 7. 

“The fact you have to turn and brake basically defeats the whole object of racing. So, they can do some simple changes, easy changes and maybe some more tricky. But I hope they do it because then it should be more exciting for everyone.”

Even race-winner Antonelli said more needs to be done to improve overtaking opportunities. 

"It definitely doesn’t create overtaking opportunities and it doesn’t push you to try and make a move, because 80% of the time you might have contact," the Mercedes driver explained. 

"I think especially in the second chicane, if I would have turned in there, me and Lando would have touched and probably gone into the wall and blocked the road. It definitely wouldn’t have been nice.

"So, I think there are some corners that need to be changed to create more overtaking opportunities, because right now, yes, it’s nice over one lap, but for sure in the race you’re just stuck behind."

Haas driver Ollie Bearman insisted: “It doesn’t take a genius to make a track layout that lends itself to overtaking.

“They managed to do it in Baku and Baku had a lot more limitations with buildings around it,” the Briton added. “On that sense, it’s been a bit of a disappointment, but hopefully next year it will be a bit more interesting.

“When you arrive and you see that layout and you are like, ‘what do you expect us to do,’ it’s a bit disappointing …

“Basically from Turn 5, all the way from 17, there was a bit of free rein, let’s say. I don’t think that free rein was used to the best of its potential.”

The track would be instantly improved with some fairly minor changes, according to Alex Albon. 

"A lot of it is around Turn 3 to Turn 5. I think that whole area needs to be redone, maybe straighter braking zones. We need to remove that chicane. It's good for spectacle, but it's not good for racing", the Williams driver said.

"And I think the banking, as great as it is, it's not really doing a good enough job in Turn 13. Turn 13 maybe needs to be a slower corner, a bigger braking zone."