'Dull' Madring race lays bare Madrid's overtaking woes

A dazzling venue, a lifeless race

There were things to like about F1's new home in Madrid. The whole La Monumental complex looked straight out of a (decent) video game. The paddock was arranged around the cavernous halls of the IFEMA Madrid exhibition center — something very different for F1 — and a city venue means fans can attend without having to schlep miles to see the racing action.

The big problem, though, was the utter dearth of said action in Sunday's race. The chicane at the start of the Madring lap did create a frantic start (so far, so good). But otherwise, the layout just didn't lend itself to any overtaking.

Where the track failed

The exhibition center backdrop was bland on TV — it looked like a very big Formula E race. The long blast from Turns 3-5 ended in a lengthy curve, which meant drivers swinging across the racing line at the braking zone, eliminating passing chances. A tight chicane followed, which meant there was little hope of cars staying alongside if they ever got there. They then just spread out around the rest of the lap.

It seemed to work in the Formula 2 and Formula 3 support categories, where there was plenty of action. But those are spec series, where every car is identical. In F1, the different performance levels told, and the circuit offered no remedy.