The Williams duo of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz believe the Madring circuit needs “improvements” ahead of the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix.
Qualifying on Saturday served up an intense display of F1 cars running in anger across the brand-new venue, in the heart of Madrid, for the Spanish GP.
That said, Albon thinks that sections of the circuit do need a rethink, especially in the context of running a race with 21 other cars out on track.
“I think we need to revisit this track a little bit,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“There’s been some discussions in driver’s briefing about what can we do to improve the track layout for Sunday.
“I don’t know if you watched the F3 and F2 races, but it was all drivers going side by side in the chicane and then complaining that one of them didn’t let them back past.
“So that corner in particular is the corner that I think needs the most work. Five. Because it’s not an overtaking track.”
Carlos Sainz believes Madring has the potential to improve after maiden F1 GP
Sainz, the local hero, is also aware that the track is not perfect.
His former Toro Rosso team-mate Max Verstappen also suggested some alterations to the layout – citing the 2026 engines not being a perfect match for the current layout.
When told about his Williams team-mate’s thoughts, the Madrid-born driver explained that every street track is bound to go through iterations and improve.
That said, he expects the organisers to be “open-minded” and take driver inputs into consideration.
“For sure, I think the track will have some improvements going forward,” Sainz told media including Motorsport Week.
“I think every track, every Formula 1 track that we visit for the first time gets iterations. Look at Baku, especially street tracks, I think they need to be open-minded to changes that drivers suggest.
“I think we will suggest the changes and see how much flexibility there is. But I think for our first Grand Prix, it’s going really well. I think all the drivers are enjoying it.
“I think we’re all enjoying this qualifying lap around here. We just need to make sure we also do a good race track and not only a good qualifying track.”
Sainz is slated to start the Spanish GP on Sunday from 20th on the grid, after being handed a three-place grid drop for impeding Valtteri Bottas during Q1.
READ MORE – Max Verstappen suggests changes to Madring F1 layout after ‘battery-starved’ qualifying
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