The Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix held in Madrid generated much criticism from fans and drivers due to the lack of battles and overtakes, and the person responsible for the Madring circuit project acknowledged that future changes will be quite limited. Jarno Zaffelli, CEO of the company responsible for designing the new circuit, explained that environmental and urban restrictions make significant changes difficult.
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Besides the Formula 1 race, the support categories also had few position battles throughout the weekend. In response to the criticism and requests for changes to improve the spectacle, Zaffelli stated that there are possibilities, but within a small margin.
“Only a few changes are possible, but even so, they are minimal,” Zaffelli told Motorsport.com. According to him, some of the alternatives publicly discussed were already close to ideas planned in the original project, including a possibility of overtaking at turn 5.
The designer explained that turn 5 should have had different characteristics from those presented at the debut: “Turn 5 should be tighter and have less curvature, and in our project, inside turn 6 there was no asphalt runoff area, but rather a gravel trap,” he said. The intention was to make following a slower trajectory necessary to avoid a direct path that would harm the lap time.
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Zaffelli also disputed the idea that the circuit was developed from a completely free area for creation. According to him, the available land already had several limitations, including approved exhibition pavilions and a previously defined road network.
“What was described as a blank sheet is actually a highly urbanized area, with precise restrictions to design a circuit suitable for Formula 1, and the challenge was to create geometries, sequences, and trajectories within these limitations and FIA safety requirements,” he added.
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