Hill notes change in F1: 'Shifting towards Formula E'

With the Madrid Grand Prix, another street circuit will be added to the Formula 1 calendar in 2026. According to former F1 driver Damon Hill, this upward trend could well be due to the introduction of the FIA's new regulations in 2026.

Including the race on and around the IFEMA grounds in Madrid, the F1 calendar in 2026 will have as many as eight street circuits, representing a third of the full calendar. Max Verstappen has stated on several occasions that he does not see the increase in street circuits as a good development. The Red Bull Racing driver prefers traditional race circuits such as the one at Spa-Francorchamps.

Hill saw 'very annoyed Max Verstappen'

"With the race in Vegas, we had a very annoyed Max Verstappen talking about the nature of circuits and the kind of circuits you’d like to race on,” he acknowledged. Hill told Sky Sports. "I think that on balance, having a circuit that is close to a major city centre is a good thing. It does improve all of the experience that you’re going to get if you go to a grand prix."

At the same time, the 63-year-old Briton stresses that a balance must be maintained. "We do need also to keep the Spas and stuff. Of course Spa was actually a street circuit, roads that joined towns in the Ardennes. That’s how they originally raced on it. In fact a lot of the races that F1 or motorsport started on were just roads, so this is nothing new," he continued.

Hill: 'Shift towards Formula E'

Hill suspects there is a notable reason behind the increase of street circuits on the calendar: "We’ve got new engine regulations coming in, and then the talk is of the difficulties they’re going to have in extracting consistent performance from the cars," he said. Red Bull chiefs Christian Horner and Pierre Waché, among others, have raised concerns about this.

Because of the 50/50 split in power between the combustion engine and the battery, some say drivers would be forced to throttle down on the straights to recharge the battery. "This move towards a tighter, twistier circuit is going in the direction of let’s say Formula E which has chosen to have its races in city centres and also on very, it has to be said, restricted circuits," Hill explained.

He does not rule out that the addition of Madrid is a logical consequence of expressed concerns about the upcoming generation of F1 cars. "I hope that’s not an indication of a few concessions made towards the fact that these cars are going to be down on performance compared to where they are now," said the 1996 world champion.