Tiff Needell calls for F1 to ban one feature of Madrid Grand Prix’s new ‘Madring’ circuit after seeing it for the first time

Formula 1’s next new track will be at Madrid which will make its debut on the calendar for the 2026 season.

Carlos Sainz was at an event in the Spanish capital as construction began on the track coined the ‘Madring’ ahead of the inaugural Madrid Grand Prix, which takes place around the IFEMA exhibition centre.

Part of the track will run around the centre while some of it will utilise nearby public roads, giving it the same semi-permanent feel as Albert Park and the Miami Autodrome.

The track will also feature a 550-metre banked section dubbed the ‘Monumental’ which will feature a slope angle of 24%.

F1 fans are worried the Madrid track could generate Safety Cars, after seeing a virtual render posted to social media. Discussing it on the Love Cars on the Grid podcast, former F1 driver Tiff Needell thinks F1 should ban one thing after seeing the track for the first time.

Tiff Needell thinks F1 should ban tight first corners

First corners in F1 have been a topic of conversation after Max Verstappen took to the escape road at Turn 1 in Jeddah an attempt to retain the lead.

The stewards penalised him, but the question of why the track was designed in such a tight manner was raised.

The first corner at the Madring features a similar design, somthing Needell thinks F1 should ban because it prevents overtaking.

“We thought someone would’ve looked at this Madring before they signed it off and said ‘Well hold on, you’re just creating another circuit where nobody will overtake. The very design that I said should be banned from future circuits is a tight right or left first corner 100m off the start line,” said Needell.

“The best way DRS works is if there is two sections. Brazil is the best, if you don’t get close enough into Turn 1 you get the next one after Turn 3.”

Date of Madrid’s first F1 race set

The Madring is set to replace the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, which has hosted the Spanish Grand Prix since 1991.

Plans are moving forward for Madrid’s first Grand Prix to be held in September, making it the first race that be held in the capital.

Barcelona could stay on the calendar, but it would mean having two races in Spain. The Dutch GP has a contract until the end of the 2026 season, while Imola could also drop off the calendar after 2025.

The Turkish GP has also expressed interest in returning to the calendar, having last hosted a race during the COVID-19 affected year in 2020.