Former Haas Method 1 workforce principal Guenther Steiner has warned that the organisers of the Spanish Grand Prix on the Madring circuit should urgently change the monitor’s structure for 2027.
The inaugural 2026 Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid drew widespread criticism from drivers, followers and pundits following a processional race that featured just about no overtaking.
Whereas Kimi Antonelli secured his eighth grand prix victory of the season over Max Verstappen and polesitter Lando Norris, he gained the lead after a well-timed digital security automotive fairly than overtaking on monitor for the win.
Talking on The Pink Flags Podcast, Steiner acknowledged the extreme negativity surrounding the occasion however urged endurance to permit adjustments to be made.
“It was precisely the identical in Vegas, the primary yr, ‘Oh, why would you go to Las Vegas? That is essentially the most silly factor to do.’ It has develop into an excellent factor, and a few issues work immediately, and a few issues want some fine-tuning,” the previous workforce chief defined.
“If subsequent yr Madrid just isn’t sorted out, I’d see it as a failure as a result of it is a 10-year contract. It must be fastened. There can’t be a second yr like this.
A common view of the circuit
Photograph by: Simon Galloway / LAT Photographs by way of Getty Photographs
“You bear in mind Vegas the primary yr with the drainage covers developing. We have been there at 6am, ‘It is a catastrophe, they do not know what they’re doing.’
“So there was negativity there, however now Vegas has develop into virtually an iconic race already. It looks as if it has been there without end as a result of it is so cool.”
Antonelli’s win in Madrid prolonged his lead within the drivers’ standings to 81 factors over his Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who presently sits second. Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton is third, 101 factors behind Antonelli.
The fifteenth spherical of the 2026 season, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, will happen from 24-26 September on the Baku Metropolis Circuit.
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