Formula 1’s long-awaited return to Madrid delivered an efficiently staged event, but the racing failed to provide the action many fans expected from the series’ first visit in 45 years. The venue earned praise for its organisation, while organisers and the FIA now have five clear priorities for year two.
Madrid’s first F1 race in 45 years was impressively managed for a debut event. Planners relied on the existing infrastructure at the IFEMA fairgrounds, which offers convenient access to public transport and Madrid-Barajas Airport.
Early signs suggested that strategy succeeded. Apart from a small number of overly enthusiastic security and police checks, the crowd of approximately 110,000 moved into and out of the venue without major disruption.
Formula 1 is a motor race first, however, and the decisive test was the on-track product. Qualifying was compelling, but the newly designed 5.4km circuit offered no meaningful overtaking opportunities.
Drivers were unimpressed by the circuit’s lack of overtaking opportunities.
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Several factors shaped the layout. The southern section, near the exhibition complex, was constrained by towering halls that the circuit had to accommodate. The northern, purpose-built section began as a blank canvas, but IFEMA planners could use only part of the available land because future pavilions and exhibitions must also fit there. Bureaucracy added further complexity to the urban design.
Those challenges do not excuse the finished circuit. As one racing driver warned after seeing an early mock-up: “There is no chance of overtaking here.”
As organisers and the FIA consider changes for 2027, five priorities stand out.
1. Fix Turn 5
The most frustrating feature of the Madrid circuit was its number of combined corners, where drivers must brake and steer at the same time. Those competing inputs consumed limited tyre grip, made several corners awkward and gave the defending car an advantage.
Turn 5 was the biggest problem. In theory, the long flat-out stretch following the opening corner sequence created the circuit’s only genuine overtaking zone.
The combined entry, narrow layout, high kerbs and nearby walls eliminated any realistic chance of passing. Attempting the manoeuvre carried a significant risk of hitting the wall or running through the asphalt runoff.
Most street circuits, with Monaco as the exception, provide at least one viable passing point. Madrid’s design prevented that, and Turn 5 is understood to be among the corners due for a major redesign after feedback from drivers and the FIA.
Tight, awkward chicanes effectively eliminated overtaking.
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
2. Re-think the second half
Marketing naturally focused on La Monumental, the spectacular banked Turn 12 that is unique on the Formula 1 calendar. It looked impressive on television, but the experience was even better in person. Watching from inside the loop during free practice was one of the calendar’s strongest trackside moments, with its changing camber, radius and elevation making it more dynamic than ordinary oval banking.
Organisers hoped drivers could use different lines through the corner, but it contributed little to the racing. The following sequence made the problem worse. Turn 13 was another medium-speed 90-degree corner with awkward barrier placement and no passing potential. Turn 16 also had a combined entry, while the final corners before the finish straight forced the cars into single file.
Lando Norris proposed routing cars around Turns 18 and 19 to create a second long straight leading into the Turn 20 hairpin. Widening the hairpin and potentially adding camber could provide drivers with different approaches. The exit barriers would also need to be repositioned after encroaching on the racing line.
3. Make Madrid more compact
IFEMA’s enormous scale was both an advantage and a weakness. The size of the grounds made freight movements easier, gave teams ample working space and may allow organisers to add activities in future that would not fit at other venues.
Navigating the site was cumbersome, particularly for McLaren, whose position at the far end of the pitlane separated its engineering bases from its hospitality areas. PR staff spent much of the weekend driving golf carts, while not everyone enjoyed the same level of transport. Ideally, next year’s layout would reduce travel times rather than use the extra space merely to accommodate more VIPs and celebrities, an impression already evident on Sunday.
The circuit’s size also had an on-track effect. The 540-metre pitlane was unusually long and included a 100-metre gap in the middle dictated by existing buildings.
With the race settling into a relatively straightforward one-stop strategy, such a long pitlane made alternative approaches even less attractive. When overtaking is difficult, strategic variation is one of the few ways to create change, apart from relying on red flags or safety cars.
4. Improve views and sightlines
While La Monumental gave the circuit a distinctive landmark, most of the rest could have been located almost anywhere. Madrid’s identity barely came through.
Former driver and now pundit and track designer Alex Wurz captured the problem. “When I look at this concrete channel, at some point I wouldn’t know which street circuit I’m on anymore,” Wurz told ORF. “Am I in Australia, am I in Valencia, am I in Madrid, where am I?
“They all always look the same. That means I’m not representing my host city in such a cool way. There’s quite a lot you could do there.”
The dramatic La Monumental banking stood out, but much of the circuit looked generic.
Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
The Madrid circuit’s generic appearance was worsened by zoomed-in broadcast angles and the challenge of placing a race around concrete exhibition halls. There must nevertheless be a way to create a stronger sense of place. A Formula 1 event in Madrid should make spectators feel that they are in Madrid.
Organisers also need to improve spectator sightlines. Many fans reported that concrete barriers obstructed their view of the cars from expensive grandstand seats. The issue should be relatively straightforward to correct for next year, although preventing it in the first place would have been preferable.
5. Elevate the fan experience
For Madrid, delivering a respectable first year was the primary objective. With limited preparation time, organisers focused on providing a safe and smooth event. Now that the debut is complete, attention can turn to the broader fan experience.
Some fan zones and general-admission areas looked sparse and unfinished. Designers took inspiration from Monza’s expansive podium overlooking the main straight, but they were neither authorised nor confident enough to permit the traditional Italian Grand Prix track invasion. Such celebrations are difficult to control, as incidents at other races have shown, so organisers were right to exercise caution in year one.
Only a small number of fans joined the podium celebrations as organisers played it safe.
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images
There are numerous opportunities to improve the Madrid event both on and off the track. Its 10-year agreement gives organisers enough time to develop the venue into a respected and popular fixture on the calendar.
“This is the first step,” race managing director Luis Garcia Abad told Motorsport.com after the race. “We had a major success in terms of public and hospitality, and now we have a lot of ideas for the next few years.
“We have the space, the venue, the facilities and the capacity to deliver. I’m sure FOM, the FIA and we will work together. If there is something we can improve, we will do it.”
