F1 in Madrid: Like Monaco but twice as long and none of the glamour

Indeed, had the F1 race followed on from the examples set by the F2 and F3 support races, the race report you’re reading now would describe all manner of chaos with plenty of overtaking, a few heavy crashes, and more than one red flag. But F1 drivers are all a lot more experienced than those in the junior series. They’re not prone to crashing and know when to pick their battles. And there were no battles to be fought on the Madring. “You only have to look at the layout, and it’s quite clear that it’s going to be a poor track for racing,” said Haas’ Oliver Bearman. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri concurred: “I think the only track more difficult to overtake on is Monaco, so it’s not ideal,” said the McLaren driver.