Steiner warns Madrid must fix Madring layout after processional 2026 Spanish GP

Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has issued a stark warning to the organisers of the Spanish Grand Prix at Madrid’s Madring circuit: fix the track layout before 2027 or face a damaging second failure. The caution follows the inaugural 2026 race, which drew near-universal criticism for producing a processional event with virtually no overtaking.

Kimi Antonelli claimed his eighth grand prix victory of the season ahead of Max Verstappen and polesitter Lando Norris, but the win arrived via a well-timed virtual safety car rather than any on-track move for the lead — a detail that crystallised the circuit’s problems for many observers.

Speaking on The Red Flags Podcast, Steiner drew a direct parallel with Las Vegas’s troubled debut, urging patience while stressing that patience has a limit. “It was exactly the same in Vegas, the first year — ‘Oh, why would you go to Las Vegas? That’s the most stupid thing to do.’ It has become a very good thing, and some things work straight away, and some things need some fine-tuning,” he said.

Steiner was equally blunt about the consequences of inaction. “If next year Madrid is not sorted out, I would see it as a failure because it’s a 10-year contract. It needs to be fixed. There cannot be a second year like this.”

He recalled the chaos of Las Vegas’s opening weekend, when drainage covers came loose during practice, forcing teams and officials onto the circuit at 6am. “There was negativity there, but now Vegas has become almost an iconic race already. It seems like it’s been there forever because it’s so cool.”

The result in Madrid further extended Antonelli’s lead in the drivers’ championship to 81 points over Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who sits second in the standings. Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton is third, 101 points adrift of his compatriot.

Formula 1 returns for the 15th round of the 2026 season at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, held at the Baku City Circuit from 24-26 September.