Nico Rosberg: Carlos Sainz must share blame for Madring overtaking issues

Nico Rosberg says Carlos Sainz must take some responsibility for the lack of overtaking at Madrid’s new Madring circuit

2016 Formula 1 champion Nico Rosberg says Carlos Sainz must take some responsibility for the lack of overtaking at the new Madring circuit, given his role as ambassador for the venue.

The 2026 Spanish Grand Prix was hosted at a new semi-permanent track around the IFEMA exhibition centre in Madrid, moving away from the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit. But after Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli celebrated his eighth grand prix win of the season, the track’s lack of overtaking opportunities was immediately criticised for resulting in processional racing.

Speaking on Sky Sports F1 after the race, Rosberg insisted that the layout must be revised for 2027.

“Carlos Sainz was the ambassador, so we need to criticise Carlos Sainz,” Rosberg said. “They need to revisit the track layout for next year and create one good overtaking opportunity. We need that on this track because it's just too hard to overtake.”

Rosberg pointed to McLaren’s Oscar Piastri struggling to pass Alpine’s Franco Colapinto despite a tyre advantage.

“It was pretty shocking. Piastri on Colapinto, for example. Piastri had fresh tyres, he could not get past. And he was so much quicker. It's just super hard to overtake,” he added.

Nico Rosberg, SKY Sport

Photo by: Jakub Porzycki / NurPhoto / Getty Images

Former Aston Martin strategist and Sky F1 analyst Bernie Collins also criticised the lack of overtaking opportunities.

“When you get the circuit all designed, you should go to them and ask the questions,” Collins explained when asked if the drivers should have more of an input into new circuits. “But I don't think it necessarily needed a driver to say that at this stage, did it? We all got here, we all looked at the track and said, ‘That's going to be very difficult for overtaking.’

“So I think that there should have been something done to do that. Now they have been very open to say they will make changes going forward. They're happy to make changes going forward. That's not a permanent track. So one of those changes, I would hope, is that they're going to make some differences in overtaking if they can.”