Lando Norris finished the Spanish GP on Sunday (13) frustrated not only by the result but also by what he found at the new Madring. For the McLaren driver, the circuit has good characteristics for a fast lap, but the current layout makes the race monotonous by offering few overtaking opportunities.
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Norris started from pole position and had a good chance to win on the track’s debut, but a slow McLaren pit stop shortly after the virtual safety car ended on lap 14 disrupted his race. The Brit still managed to recover and crossed the finish line in third, behind Max Verstappen and winner Kimi Antonelli.
In the post-race press conference, Norris spoke about what he would like to see different in the layout. The driver advocated removing turns 18 and 19: “I think there are some obvious changes they should make. They should eliminate turns 18 and 19. Useless. Just having more than one straight to a hairpin. Like, I don’t know how anyone looks at this design and says: ‘How cool’.”
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Despite the criticism, Norris did not dismiss Madring’s potential. He considers the track fun to drive and believes some changes could turn the circuit into a better place for racing:
“I think there’s a lot of opportunity. Like I said yesterday, I think they can turn it into a track that’s good for racing, and I’m excited to come back here next year if they manage to make those changes, because I think it’s a track that’s really fun to drive and could be a great circuit. For me, it’s not a great circuit. It’s great in qualifying.”
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