(Motorsport-Total.com) – The new Madring in Madrid is set to be revised already for the 2027 Formula 1 season. After the rather uneventful debut of the street circuit, the organizers have announced plans to specifically adjust the layout to allow for more overtaking maneuvers in the future. They have support from the FIA in this.
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Luis Garcia Abad, managing director of the event, confirmed after the first race to Motorsport.com, a partner site of Motorsport-Total.com, that the organizers are open to changes. Since the circuit will have to be rebuilt anyway for 2027, he sees good conditions for adjustments.
“To be honest, the FIA has clearly defined how the track layout can be improved, and we will be open to that because we have to rebuild the track for next year anyway,” explains Abad. At the same time, his conclusion about the first race weekend is not entirely negative.
Above all, the qualifying showed from his perspective that the Madring offers quite a bit in terms of driving: “I really believe the drivers enjoyed the qualifying a lot. But of course, we will try to make improvements.”
Challenging circuit, but hardly any overtaking opportunities
The approximately 5.4-kilometer-long circuit around the IFEMA exhibition grounds impressed drivers and teams at its debut mainly with its infrastructure and demanding track characteristics. The combination of medium-speed and fast corners provided exciting scenes especially in qualifying.
However, a fundamental problem became apparent during the race: there were no clear opportunities for overtaking. This affected not only Formula 1 but also the Formula 2 and Formula 3 races. The first Grand Prix on the new circuit thus turned into a procession over large parts.
One of the main overtaking spots was supposed to be the chicane at turn 5. It follows the longest straight of the circuit and should have offered drivers a good opportunity. In practice, however, the combination proved problematic.
A central criticism from the drivers concerns the many corner entries where braking and steering must be done simultaneously. This allows the leading driver to defend their position relatively easily. This exact problem was already addressed at the drivers’ briefing on Friday evening.
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The long pit lane is also criticized. It makes alternative pit stop strategies less attractive because an additional stop in the pits costs a lot of time.
Organizers see great potential for changes
Despite the criticism, Abad sees considerable room for improvement. Unlike many classic street circuits, a large part of the Madring was newly developed on previously undeveloped land. Certain sections could be changed quite extensively.
“We have the space, we have the location, we have the infrastructure, and we have the capacity to implement this,” says Abad. He announces close cooperation: “I am sure that FOM, FIA, and we ourselves will try. If we can improve something, we will do it.”
The Madring is tied to Formula 1 in the long term. The first race was the start of a ten-year contract. Accordingly, the organizers have enough time to further develop the concept and respond to the insights gained.
Norris criticizes: “Not a great race track”
World champion Lando Norris also sees concrete need for improvement. The McLaren driver, who took pole position in the first Madring qualifying, praised the track for a fast lap but was less convinced by the race layout. “For me, it’s not a great race track,” he judged.
“It’s great in qualifying, but a straight from turn 17 directly to turn 20 [would help], plus a significantly wider corner entry like at turn 1 or turn 10 in Austin, so a big hairpin. That would create much better opportunities for everyone and make the race more fun.”
Norris sees both relatively simple and more complicated approaches, “like at turns 5, 6, and 7,” he says. “It’s hard to know exactly what the best solution would be. The fact that you have to steer and brake at the same time basically ruins the whole point of the race.”
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