Max Verstappen in talks with FIA about changes to the Madring

Max Verstappen has revealed he has raised both safety concerns and the Madring's long pit lane with the FIA, whilst making clear he is not yet sold on F1's newest venue.

Verstappen's main gripe is the sheer number of braking zones through a succession of tight corners, which he believes leaves drivers with little chance to attack and overtake.

Asked by the Dutch media, including RacingNews365, what he would change about the layout, the Red Bull driver did not hesitate ahead of Sunday's Spanish GP.

"Almost all the braking zones," said Verstappen. "If you give me the track layout, I'll take care of it. But we aren't asked for help.

"In Jeddah [referring to the Saudi Arabian GP], we were able to change a few things, but you really have to do that beforehand, before the track is built."

The 28-year-old insisted he is willing to offer his input when asked.

"You can always ask, right?" he said. "You can always ask what you think of a certain layout. I do get in touch sometimes. I don't want to go into details, because there are different track designers, but I sometimes talk to one person about certain opinions and circuits.

"A driver knows very well what's needed or what a good turn looks like. There are also a few good examples, like Austin. You can race well there. Certain turns are nice and wide, and you can make a move. It doesn't always work, but coming out of the turn, you can fight again."

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FIA 'understand' poor pit lane - Verstappen

Safety has also been on the agenda. Marshals took time to recover a burning car in Friday's F2 session, whilst final practice was interrupted at length on Saturday after a crash involving Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton.

"We discussed that with the FIA, and I think they've also spoken with the marshals," said Verstappen. "Of course, for some people, it's their first time here, but ultimately, it's very important.

"But if they can make a few adjustments to the track in certain spots, it definitely has potential. Look, I've never really been a fan of street circuits, but there are worse ones on the calendar."

The Dutchman confirmed that the circuit's lengthy pit lane is another item on his list of annoyances.

"We've talked about that too, and the FIA understands," he said. "It's not practical, and it wasn't thought through logically."