George Russell left with ‘sore head’ amid urge for Madring changes

George Russell has called for the layout of the Madring circuit to be changed after he suffered head pain from the Spanish Grand Prix.

The latest addition to the Formula 1 calendar, the new circuit has 22 turns and limited overtaking opportunities. The long straight at the end of Turns 5 and 6 is the most realistic place for action, but its tricky layout, leading into a fast left-right-left chicane, means cars who don’t reduce their speed drastically go clattering over kerbs.

Russell finished fifth, nearly half a minute behind his teammate Kimi Antonelli, who won the race and extended his championship lead over Russell to 81 points. However, it wasn’t just the standings the British driver was worried about coming away from the Spanish GP.

“They need to do something, they need to make a change,” Russell told media, including Motorsport Week, about the track layout at the Madring.

“Because every circuit needs to have an overtaking opportunity after a bit of a straight, and this one has a tight chicane and the corners that are a real challenge, but it is not pleasant.

“After 60 laps smashing those kerbs, my head was a bit sore at the end.”

Russell’s result was not helped by his two-stop strategy, which saw him switch to a set of medium tyres during the Virtual Safety Car period and then back onto the hard tyre. Antonelli, as well as most other teams on the grid, chose a one-stop strategy.

“The hard tyre was by far the superior tyre, and it would have been a big gamble to stay out on the medium, and I thought I had nothing to lose in the end,” Russell said.

“I think I would have ended up where I ended up anyway, so it is a bit of a shame; it is a very tough track to overtake, which I guess was a bit annoying for everyone.

“The performance was far better than the result, and I think the pace was really strong, among the strongest of everybody out there, so I take those positives, but this was Monaco-esque in terms of qualifying [being important].”