Ever since the Madring was announced in early 2024 as the new location of the annual Spanish Grand Prix, there has been a lot of hype surrounding its entrance into Formula 1. With Spaniard Carlos Sainz Jr. as an ambassador of the new event from the beginning, there were high expectations for its quality as well.
A street circuit coming to a major European capital city piqued the interest of fans, drivers, and many involved in the world of motorsport. With the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona slowly being phased out of the calendar, Madrid was supposed to be the focal point of Spain.
But Spain’s newest Grand Prix did end up disappointing nearly everyone, due to its lack of excitement. A track initially believed to be one that would see cars in the wall and gutsy overtakes ended up having fewer than 50% of the overtakes as the Monaco Grand Prix did, and Monaco is commonly referred to as a driver’s parade.
Nico Rosberg places some blame on Carlos Sainz
The former Mercedes driver was quick to point out Sainz’s involvement in the project and where his input should have been directed to avoid what transpired.
As an experienced and successful driver in Formula 1, the Spanish driver can certainly envision the kind of racing certain turns and corners would produce, based on their general design.
However, it appears Sainz did not necessarily foresee the potential issues that came to fruition, leading to a Grand Prix that was more painful to watch than Monaco. As a continued ambassador of the project, he should surely voice his concerns regarding making the track more exciting moving forward.
Shortly after the Grand Prix’s conclusion, reports had already surfaced that 2027’s edition will feature modifications to the track layout in an effort to make the track more raceable. With the race locked onto the calendar for at least the next nine years, drivers will have to start getting used to these difficult corners.
If Sainz can reflect on the race weekend and actually be the voice for making positive changes ahead of next year, we may not see such a dreadful race in Madrid two seasons in a row.
Add us as a preferred source on Google