GPDA chief counters Madrid F1 track criticism

Alex Wurz, the head of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, has weighed in on the critcism that was directed towards the Madring last weekend.

The all-new circuit built in Madrid became the new host of the Spanish Grand Prix this year.

However, it failed to produce an exciting race, with minimal wheel-to-wheel action throughout the 57-lap grand prix - a feature that was also present in the junior categories.

It led to some criticism from several drivers, but Wurz insisted that creating a new track in a street setting has major constraints.

“Track design is not as simple as just drawing a few lines on an A3, A4 [sheet] or on a CAD programme,” Wurz told the Sky F1 podcast.

“You need to consider topographics, soil issues, plot boundaries, fire safety rules of a country. You need to run a business, meaning you need to place spectators and all the marshals, etc. 

“You need to understand crowd flow, dimensioning of all those items. Infrastructure above, beside, below the track, constructability, budget constraints. 

“There is an enormous list which is restricting.

“You mentioned half of the circuit is in the exhibition centre, and I think that was utilised to what it could be.

“We can't ask the promoter to relocate individual exhibition holes, that would be too much. So those 90-degree corners, maybe they're not to our best taste, but we can respect some of those.”

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Wurz hopes for Madrid improvements

The Madring is on the F1 schedule for the long-term, signing a 10-year deal with the sport.

But following an underwhelming first edition, Wurz insisted there are elements to the layout that can be improved.

“Where I think things could have been done or could also in the future be optimised, is on the property on the other side of the highway, which was land.

“There wasn't anything there, so you looked at something which, at least at 50 per cent of the circuit, had no real topographical constraints.

“Maybe for us, unknown constraints of civil engineering nature and topography - but the topography actually is really cool. 

“They made perfect use of it with Turn 12, the banked corner. Some other aspects, I think there is where the big wins can happen for the future.”