By: The second day of track activity at Madrid is drawing to a close and, with qualifying already having taken place along with several Formula 2 and Formula 3 races, we can now offer some early thoughts on the new circuit. Between Thursday and Friday, some compared it to Monte Carlo, others to Macau… Having watched some of the junior-category races and seen what happened following Lewis Hamilton's FP3 crash, we can say that the Madring has very little in common with the Monaco Principality circuit.
The difficulties of the first edition
Clearly, it must be given time: this is only the event's first edition and, as always, there are issues to resolve. However, the first areas requiring attention undoubtedly concern the organisation of car recovery following incidents and the speed at which the circuit is made safe. In the incident involving Lewis, the Madring may even have set a record. The marshals took more than 30 minutes to restore the Tecpro barriers, despite the impact being purely head-on and the driver even attempting to return to the pits. It did not appear to be a particularly demanding task.
This evening, by way of comparison, there was a major accident during the Formula 3 Feature Race (cover image and image below), one of the two races scheduled this weekend for the season finale. Paradoxically, despite the number of cars involved, the marshals were fairly swift on that occasion. The recovery operation lasted just under 30 minutes: an appropriate time, given the scale of the accident.
What is probably lacking is adequate equipment around the circuit. Not every section is properly supplied. In some respects, it is a similar situation to that seen in the very early editions in Azerbaijan.
The FIA will have much to analyse after the weekend
Comparing the Madring with Monte Carlo would therefore be wrong. The Monaco GP is certainly the benchmark in terms of organisation and track safety. The Madrid circuit could be regarded as somewhere between Baku and Macau. The Guia Circuit is considered one of the most dangerous venues still hosting motor racing events. The Madring is far from that level, but the section between Turn 6 and Turn 10 is very narrow, with sudden changes of direction which, as seen earlier in Formula 3, can lead to serious incidents, especially at the start.
The FIA will need to carry out a very thorough post-GP review of safety, management and the organisation of track personnel in the event of an accident. This is, after all, the debut of a new street circuit… Let us give it time.
Image below: X, F3; Cover image: X, F3.
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