(Motorsport-Total.com) – The new Madring in Madrid caused discussions at its Formula 1 debut mainly due to the few overtaking opportunities. After the first Grand Prix on the semi-permanent circuit around the IFEMA exhibition center, former world champion Nico Rosberg is already calling for changes for the upcoming season. The Sky expert also holds Carlos Sainz responsible.
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“Carlos Sainz was the ambassador, so we have to criticize Carlos Sainz,” Rosberg said after the race on Sky Sports F1. Sainz acts as the ambassador of the new race track and has already advocated for the Madring during the project’s development. However, after the first race, the Spaniard also sees room for improvement.
The 2016 world champion particularly sees a concrete overtaking opportunity as necessary. “They need to rethink the track layout for next year and create a good overtaking opportunity. We need that on this track because overtaking is just too difficult,” Rosberg explained further.
Sainz also sees room for improvement
Sainz himself agrees that the Madring needs improvement in this regard. When asked what changes he would like for 2027, the Williams driver pointed to several possible options. “I think we maybe have a few possibilities to look at. At the moment, it’s a great qualifying track. But it also has to be a good racing track,” Sainz said.
The Spaniard therefore hopes for adjustments by the officials and the FIA. “If the officials and the FIA are open to making changes, that probably means we can create a few overtaking opportunities in the future that will push this race further up on our list of favorite tracks.”
Sainz calls for an overtaking spot modeled after Baku
Sainz can imagine a solution based on other street circuits. “Good street circuits like Baku or Macau usually have a single overtaking spot with a very long straight,” the Williams driver explained. Exactly such an opportunity could help the Madring in his opinion.
“We have to look at where there is the possibility to add this overtaking spot and whether it is feasible. But I think it would do the track a lot of good,” Sainz said. Otherwise, from his point of view, the premiere was successful.
“For a first time, the event was a success in my opinion. It’s a great race track, a great city, and the organization was also excellent. Probably the only thing the track is missing now is an overtaking spot,” the Spaniard said.
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Rosberg: “It was quite shocking”
Rosberg also observed during the race how difficult it was to gain positions on the Madring. He cited Oscar Piastri and Franco Colapinto as examples. “It was quite shocking. Piastri, for example, had fresh tires compared to Colapinto and still couldn’t get past. And he was so much faster. It’s just extremely difficult to overtake,” said the former Formula 1 driver.
Former Aston Martin strategist and current Sky expert Bernie Collins also sees room for improvement in the track design. In her opinion, it should have been clear before the first race that overtaking maneuvers would be difficult on the layout.
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“When you design a race track completely, you should go to the officials and ask these questions,” Collins explained. However, it was not necessarily required that a driver point out the problem. “We all arrived here, looked at the track, and said: ‘This will be very difficult to overtake on.'”
Collins therefore welcomes that the officials have already signaled that they want to change the course in the future. Since it is not a permanent race track, adjustments are comparatively feasible. Improving overtaking opportunities should be at the top of the list from her point of view.
Alonso sees structural limits
Fernando Alonso also considers changes to the layout sensible. The Aston Martin driver, however, points to possible structural constraints. “We probably have to look with the FIA at what we can do. Maybe in the area of turns 15, 16, and 17. It would be nice to have something there,” Alonso said.
At the same time, the two-time world champion sees a possible obstacle there. “But I also think there is a limitation because we drive under a highway or something like that there. There is a bridge, so it will be difficult. But I think they are open to listening to our comments.”
The first Grand Prix on the Madring ended with the eighth season win for Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. For the future, the decisive question will be whether the officials can actually integrate an additional overtaking opportunity into the layout. Sainz, Rosberg, and Alonso at least agree on one point: The new track needs more opportunities for position battles.
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