George Russell ended the Spanish Grand Prix with a sore head and sharp criticism of the Madring circuit layout. The Mercedes driver finished fifth, nearly half a minute behind his teammate Kimi Antonelli, who won the race and extended his championship lead to 81 points.
Madring, the latest addition to the Formula 1 calendar, has 22 corners with limited overtaking opportunities. The long straight at the end of Turns 5 and 6 is the only realistic action point, but the fast left-right-left chicane means cars that don't slow down drastically will clatter over the kerbs.
Russell: They Need to Make a Change
"They need to do something, they need to make a change," Russell told media, including Motorsport Week, about the Madring track layout. "Because every circuit needs to have an overtaking opportunity after a bit of a straight, and this one has a tight chicane and the corners that are a real challenge, but it is not pleasant."
"After 60 laps smashing those kerbs, my head was a bit sore at the end."
Russell also highlighted his two-stop strategy, which saw him switch to medium tyres during the Virtual Safety Car period and then back to the hard tyre. Antonelli and most other teams opted for a one-stop strategy. "The hard tyre was by far the superior tyre, and it would have been a big gamble to stay out on the medium, and I thought I had nothing to lose in the end," he explained.
"I think I would have ended up where I ended up anyway, so it is a bit of a shame; it is a very tough track to overtake, which I guess was a bit annoying for everyone. The performance was far better than the result, and I think the pace was really strong, among the strongest of everybody out there, so I take those positives, but this was Monaco-esque in terms of qualifying [being important]."
Impact on Championship and Rivalry
This result further extends Russell's gap to Kimi Antonelli at the top of the standings. With 81 points behind, Russell must bounce back quickly if he wants to keep his title hopes alive. Meanwhile, criticism of Madring adds to the list of driver complaints about circuits that are not race-friendly.
Other incidents also colored the Spanish GP, such as Carlos Sainz's penalty for attacking Fernando Alonso, and a rare warning for Oscar Piastri after a 'too far' manoeuvre at Madring. All of this shows just how challenging the new circuit is for the drivers.
Read Also
Podcast review of Supercars The Bend and F1 Madrid: parity drama, Toyota's win, and criticism of Madring debut. Read the full analysis on Sportrik.
Honda reshuffles F1 engine leadership, Yoichiro Fukao becomes Large Project Leader replacing Tetsushi Kakuda from October 1, 2026.
Race of Champions will make its New Zealand debut on January 9-10 at Hnry Stadium, Wellington. Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas are confirmed to race.
Continue with Google
Discussion (0)
Join the Discussion!
Sign in easily to start commenting, replying, and interacting with other readers.
Latest Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!