Piastri calls for Madrid track changes after Spanish GP: "Only Monaco is harder to overtake"

News Summary

Oscar Piastri finished eighth after sustaining front-wing damage during the opening-lap battle in Madrid.
The McLaren driver said the circuit needs a significantly better overtaking zone, pointing specifically to the Turn 5-6 chicane.
Piastri believes Monaco is currently the only Formula 1 circuit where overtaking is more difficult than at Madring.

Oscar Piastri has called for changes to Madring after Formula 1’s first Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madrid circuit, arguing that only Monaco currently makes overtaking more difficult.

Piastri started seventh but endured a difficult opening lap. Contact with George Russell damaged the endplate of his McLaren’s front wing and dropped him to 10th, leaving the Australian fighting in traffic for much of the afternoon.

“It was just a difficult afternoon from the start,” Piastri said after the race. “From there, the rest of the race was pretty compromised, obviously with some damage and mainly just track position. So that made things very, very difficult.”

Piastri said McLaren’s underlying speed was more encouraging when he finally had clear track.

“The pace in free air on the hard was very good, to be honest,” he continued. “But we were trying to recover the time loss from the VSC compared to the guys that pitted.”

The Virtual Safety Car proved decisive at the front, where Andrea Kimi Antonelli capitalised on the timing of the neutralisation and Lando Norris’ slow pit stop to win the Spanish GP. Piastri, however, found himself trapped behind Liam Lawson.

“When I got to Lawson, I was kind of stuck again,” he said. “That was painful. And then when we stopped for the mediums, we came out in a train of four cars, so that wasn’t great.”

Piastri was equally unimpressed by the performance of the medium compound.

“The medium was just terrible,” he said. “It was good for literally one lap, and then it was really bad. So we’ve got a lot of things to try and improve.”

The Australian eventually recovered to eighth, behind Franco Colapinto, and is now seventh in the Drivers’ Championship with 120 points.

His assessment of the circuit itself was more significant. Overtaking had already emerged as a concern during the weekend, with the narrow layout and walls making track position particularly important. Qualifying proved crucial as Norris beat Antonelli by just 0.011s to take Madring’s first F1 pole.

Piastri believes the circuit needs a genuine passing opportunity rather than relying on drivers going off track while attempting moves.

“The track needs a much better overtaking zone,” Piastri said. “At that chicane, even the overtakes that did work were normally because someone had to cut the track and give the position back, rather than actually overtaking.”

“So hopefully they can make some changes because, at the moment, I think the only track that’s harder to overtake at is Monaco. So that’s not ideal.”

Piastri’s criticism adds to a broader discussion about Madring after its inaugural Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso also said overtaking had been difficult and suggested changes could be considered at several parts of the circuit.

Formula 1 returns with the Azerbaijan GP in Baku on September 24-26.

FAQ

What did Oscar Piastri say about the Madrid F1 circuit?

Piastri said Madring needs “a much better overtaking zone” and argued that Monaco is the only circuit currently more difficult to pass on.

What changes does Piastri want at Madring?

Piastri highlighted the chicane around Turns 5 and 6, saying many attempted passes there resulted in drivers cutting the track and returning positions rather than completing genuine overtakes.