Madring Knows Its First F1 Race Was Too Hard to Pass On — Now the Track Is Changing
GOATIFYMadrid got the spectacle it wanted from Formula 1's first weekend at Madring, but the race itself exposed the problem organizers now have to solve. The new Spanish Grand Prix venue delivered a dramatic setting, a demanding qualifying lap and packed grandstands, yet Sunday's race produced too little genuine wheel-to-wheel action.
Organizers have now acknowledged that changes are being prepared for 2027, with FIA approval required before the layout can be altered. The most obvious target is the final sector, where Lando Norris argued that Turns 18 and 19 should disappear in favor of a straighter run into a proper braking zone.
Norris has already identified the corners Madring should change
The criticism is not really about whether Madring is difficult. Drivers broadly enjoyed the challenge of pushing the new 5.4-kilometre circuit over one lap. The problem is that several of its hardest braking zones arrive while the car is still turning, which makes it difficult for a following driver to commit to the inside without creating a high risk of contact.
That distinction matters. A circuit can be spectacular for qualifying and still produce a poor race. Norris demonstrated the first half by taking pole by just 0.011 seconds over Kimi Antonelli, but the Grand Prix then produced only a small number of meaningful passes. Once the field settled, track position became more important than raw pace.
Norris' proposed fix is unusually specific: remove Turns 18 and 19 and create more of a straight into the following hairpin. The logic is simple. A longer approach lets the chasing car use its speed advantage, while a wider, slower braking zone gives two cars room to arrive together. Madring currently asks drivers to combine braking and steering through too many of the places where a pass is supposed to begin.
The circuit's own geometry explains why the idea has traction. Turn 18 is wide, but Turn 19 is a fast left-hander before the slow final sequence. Straightening that transition would change the approach to the heavy braking zone rather than simply widening a corner that still forces drivers onto one preferred line.
Organizers say the required modifications are relatively small, although they cannot make them unilaterally. Any revised layout must go through the FIA approval process. That makes the next step less about redesigning Madring from scratch and more about identifying which corners are actively preventing the cars from racing each other.
The debut exposed more than one problem
The racing problem was only one part of the debut-weekend review. Organizers also acknowledged spectator issues, including pedestrian bridges that blocked sightlines from some grandstands and long queues for food and drinks in the fan zone. Those are operational problems rather than circuit-design problems, but they matter for a venue trying to establish itself as a long-term Formula 1 destination.
There is also a more complicated technical question. The debut race came during the first season of Formula 1's new-generation hybrid cars, and energy management affected how aggressively drivers could attack and defend. That means Madring's lack of overtaking cannot be blamed entirely on asphalt geometry. Engine tweaks have already been approved for next season, so the cars themselves may behave differently when the championship returns.
Organizers also believe the race was shaped by caution. Junior-series crashes during testing and the early part of the weekend created an expectation that the new circuit might produce repeated safety cars or red flags. Instead, the Grand Prix was largely clean, with only a virtual safety car disrupting the strategic order. Teams that had prepared for chaos ended up racing conservatively on a circuit where passing was already difficult.
None of that removes the need for layout changes. If anything, it strengthens the case for creating at least one unmistakable overtaking zone that does not depend on unusual tyre offsets, safety-car timing or a driver making a mistake. Madring already has the infrastructure, location and visual identity of a major event. The missing piece is a race that matches the promise of the venue.
The encouraging part for Madrid is that the weakness was obvious in year one and the organizers are not pretending otherwise. Madring does not need to lose the corners that make it distinctive; it needs to turn one or two of its technical sequences into places where drivers can actually fight.
If the FIA approves a cleaner run from Turn 17 toward the final hairpin, and the event fixes the spectator-flow problems around the circuit, the 2027 Spanish Grand Prix could look very different. The debut proved Madring can stage Formula 1. The next test is whether it can stage a genuinely good Formula 1 race.
