Kimi Antonelli won the Spanish Grand Prix at Madring, but the new Madrid street circuit also emerged from its Formula 1 debut with an unwanted record. Only four overtakes were recorded during the race, turning a weekend that had been promoted as one of the most exciting additions to the calendar into a largely processional spectacle and triggering widespread criticism of the layout.
The circuit near Madrid’s IFEMA exhibition district had promised a demanding challenge, but race day exposed several problems. Drivers found themselves dealing with blind corners, long trains of cars with few opportunities to attack under braking, and tyre overheating linked to the circuit’s elevation changes. The difficult debut has already prompted discussion about possible modifications to the layout in future seasons.
Madring overtaking problems dominate the Spanish GP
Madring had been presented as a faster interpretation of Zandvoort, a comparison strengthened by the banking of its signature La Monumental section. In practice, however, running through that part of the lap proved particularly demanding, with tyre management becoming a significant consideration.
Even race winner Kimi Antonelli encountered the issue. With fresh tyres, the Mercedes driver was comfortably closing on Charles Leclerc, who had yet to make his pit stop, but Antonelli was instructed over team radio to deliberately reduce his pace to avoid compromising his race.
The limitations of the circuit had already been a talking point before the Grand Prix, with Formula 1 drivers warning about the challenges posed by the new Madrid layout. Race day added another concern to that list: overtaking proved extraordinarily difficult.
Madrid produces fewer overtakes than Monaco
The contrast with the previous Grand Prix was striking. Formula 1 arrived in Madrid immediately after Monza, where 78 overtakes had been recorded. At Madring, that number fell to only four.
The comparison becomes even more significant when Monaco is taken into account. The Monte Carlo street circuit is historically regarded as one of the most difficult venues in Formula 1 for gaining positions, yet it still produced ten on-track overtakes compared with Madring’s four.
Those figures underline just how little opportunity drivers had to make progress through the field. Historical venue results and benchmarks can also be explored through the F1 Circuit Records & Statistics section.
Max Verstappen jokes about keeping Norris behind
Max Verstappen offered a particularly blunt assessment when asked how he had managed to keep Lando Norris and the extremely fast McLaren behind him. The Dutch world champion responded ironically: “I just had to keep the car in the middle of the track. That strategy seemed to work well here.”
The remark captured one of the central problems of the race. Even when a following car possessed strong pace, the layout offered few places where a driver could position the car for a realistic passing attempt without taking a significant risk.
The two long straights and the circuit’s technical sections did not translate into the overtaking opportunities Formula 1 had hoped for. Instead, extended trains developed as drivers struggled to get close enough to attack, while tyre temperatures added another factor to manage.
Formula 1 already considering Madring layout changes
The outcome has left organisers facing criticism after pushing strongly for Madrid’s inclusion on the Formula 1 calendar. The track may provide a challenging qualifying lap, but its first Grand Prix demonstrated that technical difficulty does not necessarily translate into close racing or frequent overtaking.
Formula 1 is therefore already considering potential changes to the Madring layout. The aim would be to create better opportunities for drivers to race one another and avoid a repeat of a debut Grand Prix in which overtaking became the dominant talking point for all the wrong reasons.
Madrid remains part of the championship’s wider schedule, which can be followed through the 2026 Formula 1 calendar, but its first race has left an immediate challenge for circuit designers and organisers: preserving the technical character of Madring while creating a layout capable of producing a more competitive Grand Prix.
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