Coulthard demands Madring layout changes before 2027 return after processional debut race

David Coulthard has urged Formula 1 to alter the Madring circuit ahead of its planned 2027 return, calling it “stupidity” to bring back an unchanged layout after the track’s inaugural race was widely criticised for producing little wheel-to-wheel action.

The semi-permanent circuit came under immediate scrutiny following a race in which overtaking proved almost impossible. Lando Norris, who started from pole position, lost the lead when an ill-timed virtual safety car caught him out — he had already passed the pit entry and was unable to take the cheaper stop. Mercedes driver and current championship leader Kimi Antonelli seized the moment, pitted under the VSC and went on to claim his eighth grand prix victory of the season.

Max Verstappen underlined the circuit’s defensive nature by admitting he was unconcerned when Norris closed on him late in the race. “All I need to do is drive in the middle of the track as you would in Monaco,” Verstappen said — a comparison that crystallised the criticism for many observers.

Speaking on the Up To Speed podcast, Coulthard argued that Formula 1 cannot dismiss the negative reaction from fans. “I think the fans, we’ve got to listen to them,” he said. “We can’t say, ‘Oh, you’re wrong.’ If they’re saying they think the race was boring, then hey, that’s what they think.”

The former Red Bull driver warned that ignoring the feedback would be a costly mistake. “If we take all that information and come back next year with exactly the same, then put the same cake mix into the oven and expect a different outcome, that’s stupidity.”

Coulthard also outlined specific modifications he believes would generate overtaking opportunities. He pointed to slower chicanes — similar to those at Monza — as the most effective solution, arguing that the current first and second chicanes are taken at too high a speed to create genuine braking-zone battles.

“A good old-fashioned, slower chicane like you have at Monza creates overtaking because you have braking distance,” he said. “The first and second chicanes currently are too fast. So you enter on a shallow line with too much speed.”

He also suggested that a hairpin loop inserted somewhere on the circuit could encourage drivers to attack. “Or somewhere around that area, you chuck in a loop, a hairpin loop that encourages people to have a go. That’s the only thing you can do,” Coulthard added, noting that the fast, flowing middle sector of the track offers little scope for change given the need to connect the layout’s two ends.