Norris slams Madring F1 circuit after Spanish GP: ‘It’s not a great racetrack’
Photo: Race Pictures
Henry Eccles is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs, and features across the F1 calendar. Since joining in 2026, he has produced high-volume reporting on the sport’s biggest stories, alongside feature pieces including analysis and historical content.
Lando Norris has heavily criticised the Madring layout after the inaugural Spanish GP at the semi-street circuit, calling for "obvious changes" and arguing that he does not understand "how someone looks at this design and goes, “Mint.”
The reigning world champion was unlucky not to christen the Madring circuit with a victory due to a slow McLaren pit stop just moments after a Lap 14 Virtual Safety Car had ended. The Spanish GP pole-sitter was P3 at chequered flag, despite a strong charge behind Max Verstappen and eventual winner Kimi Antonelli.
Adding to Norris' VSC frustration was the severe lack of overtaking opportunities at the narrow Madring circuit. The McLaren driver was right behind Verstappen during the closing stages of Sunday's race, but had virtually no chance of passing the Dutchman.
Several drivers alongside Norris have been critical of the new circuit, with Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto joking he "almost fell asleep" during the race, while Norris' compatriot George Russell has also called for changes. Former Mercedes man Nico Rosberg has even pointed the finger at Madring ambassador Carlos Sainz over the lack of overtakes on Sunday.
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Norris critical of Madring circuit layout
Photo: Race Pictures
Speaking to GPblog, and other media, at the post-race press conference, Norris initially joked with a reporter that he hadn't been listened to the day prior when asked for his verdict on the Madring, before giving his thoughts on the racing action.
"I think there are some obvious changes they should make. They should get rid of 18, 19. Useless. Just have more of a straight into a hairpin. Like, I don’t know how someone looks at this design and goes, “Mint.”
"I think there’s a lot of opportunity. Like I said yesterday, I think they can make it into a track that’s good for racing, and I’m excited to come back here next year if they can make these changes because I think it’s a track that is good fun to drive and it can be a great racetrack. To me, it’s not a great racetrack. It’s great in qualifying."
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Championship leader Antonelli also weighed in on the Madring's layout, arguing the all-new circuit does not incentivise drivers to make overtaking moves, with the risk of contact between rivals particularly high. The 20-year-old's comments were backed up by four-time world champion Verstappen, who only added "exactly that," to Antonelli's reflections.
"It definitely doesn’t create overtaking opportunities, Antonelli said. "And it doesn’t push you to try and make a move because 80% of the time you might have a contact. So, I think especially in the second chicane, if I would have turned in, me and Lando would have touched and probably gone in the wall and blocked the road. Definitely wouldn’t have been nice."
"So, I think there are some corners that need to be changed to create more overtaking opportunities because right now, yes, it’s nice over one lap, but for sure in the race, you know, you’re just stuck behind."
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