The first Madrín Grand Prix proved to be a mixed bag, offering a fresh venue with a few standout features such as the sweeping, banked Turn 12 and a series of high‑speed sections that raced between relentless walls and barriers. Yet the whole event felt like a work in progress.
Construction delays, aggravated by unusually bad weather, meant the temporary circuit—built next to the international airport and essentially looping around the Madrid version of the Birmingham NEC—faced a host of logistical headaches. The pit lane and paddock spanned an enormous area, creating bottlenecks for teams and officials alike.
More importantly, the track layout simply did not encourage overtaking. Cars thundered from one side of the circuit to the other through tight, twisty sections, then accelerated onto a relatively short pit straight.
Because the circuit’s energy‑dense design allowed hybrid batteries to recharge far more readily than on the four long straights at Monza a week earlier, drivers could only pass each other by attempting a daring dive‑bomb or by waiting for a rival to make a mistake. It was not as impossible to overtake as Monaco, but it was certainly far from easy. Adding to the problem was an exceptionally long pit lane that re‑joined the track on the inside of Turn 3, resulting in a 25‑second pit stop under green‑flag conditions.
Under a virtual safety car (VSC) or a full safety car, the speed differential meant a driver could gain roughly twelve seconds by pitting while the field crawled behind the safety car—an advantage that ultimately decided the race outcome. Lando Norris entered the weekend with minimal track knowledge, having missed almost an entire practice session due to car gremlins. Several drivers also suffered significant incidents during the build‑up to the race, which meant all three tyre compounds were represented on the grid.
Norris and fellow front‑row starter Kimi Antonelli qualified on medium tyres, while Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton opted for the soft compound. Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari and George Russell’s Mercedes were on the hard compound.
At the start, Norris launched well and quickly pulled ahead of Antonelli. The young Italian, however, mis‑judged the early chicanes, carried too much throttle into the runoff, and was forced to cede the lead back to Norris.
Verstappen, on soft tyres, saw an opportunity and used his pace and tyre advantage to move into second, preventing Antonelli from simply handing the position back to Norris. The early scramble continued when Verstappen cut a chicane to avoid contact with Hamilton. The stewards deemed that an illegal advantage had been gained and, before they could issue a formal penalty, Verstappen’s team instructed him to give the position back to Hamilton, which also meant Antonelli lost a place.
That decision likely cost Verstappen a chance at victory. Antonelli has been the beneficiary of a string of fortunate circumstances this season, but his speed and consistency have ensured he makes the most of each opportunity. By lap 14 he was back in contention. Meanwhile, Norris continued to dominate at the front until an incident involving Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin, which spun into a short runoff area, prompted a virtual safety car.
Norris approached the pit entry just as the VSC was declared, but he had already passed the entry point. With a lead of over four seconds, McLaren chose not to pit him on the speculative safety‑car window, fearing the difficulty of overtaking after a stop. Mercedes, however, seized the chance to pit Antonelli.
If Norris had not been in such strong form, the strategy might have unfolded differently. Ferrari kept Leclerc out on his hard tyres, a plan that was compromised by the early safety car. The slow clearance of stranded cars meant that when the race resumed, Norris was still two corners away from the pit lane and had to navigate the entire pit lane at full speed while his rivals were already back on the racing line.
To make matters worse, McLaren’s pit stop for Norris lasted seven seconds instead of the usual two, eroding his advantage. Undeterred, Norris set about reducing the gap to Verstappen and Antonelli.
Leclerc led impressively until he pitted on lap 48, his hard tyres finally exhausted. Pierre Gasly, meanwhile, was left on the track by Alpine for 55 of the 57 laps, a clear sign of a struggling strategy. In the closing stages Antonelli held the lead, with Verstappen pushing hard and Norris closing in.
The trio stayed bunched together, but overtaking remained elusive. Antonelli secured his 13th consecutive race win, extending his championship lead to 81 points over teammate George Russell. It marked the fifth race in a row that the 20‑year‑old Italian widened his points gap. Mercedes’ power units notched their 251st win, tying Ferrari’s historic total.
Russell, also in a Mercedes, ran a two‑stop strategy (laps 14 and 28) and managed to catch Leclerc before finishing fifth, but he could not break through to the podium. Lewis Hamilton suffered a brake failure early on and retired for the first time since the Brazilian Grand Prix last season. This opened the door for Liam Lawson, standing in for the injured Isack Hadjar, to claim sixth place for Red Bull and add eight points to the team’s tally, while Verstappen earned a solid 18 points for second place in a car that was not the second‑quickest on the grid.
Post‑race, both Antonelli and Verstappen praised Norris, suggesting he would have won if not for the timing of the virtual safety car. Their comments sparked a debate: should a driver be penalised for a race loss caused by another driver’s mistake or a mechanical failure? Some racing series temporarily close the pit lane during a safety‑car period, allowing only emergency repairs.
While this can reduce congestion, it still does not guarantee equal treatment for all competitors. One possible remedy would be to mandate that a virtual safety car remain in effect for at least one full lap for every driver, ensuring fairness at the cost of a few laps of green‑flag racing—something fans crave.
Looking ahead, I hope the organisers will introduce layout revisions for next year’s Madrín circuit to promote overtaking, streamline the paddock and pit lane facilities, and improve signage throughout the venue. The track possesses the raw ingredients to become a respected fixture on the F1 calendar. The season continues with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, a triple‑header from September 24‑26, featuring a Saturday race in Baku. Fans can stream the action live on Sky Sports F1 via NOW, with no long‑term contract required.