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Nico Rosberg, the 2016 Formula 1 World Champion, stated that Carlos Sainz bears some responsibility for the lack of overtaking opportunities at the new Madrid circuit, given his role as an ambassador for the track.
The Spanish Grand Prix was held on a new semi-permanent circuit around the IFEMA exhibition center in Madrid, replacing the traditional host, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. After Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes celebrated his eighth victory of the season, the track immediately faced criticism for its limited overtaking possibilities, which led to a processional race.
Commenting on Sky Sports F1 after the race, Rosberg insisted that the track's configuration must be revised for 2027.
"Carlos Sainz was an ambassador, so we have to criticize Carlos Sainz. They need to revise the track configuration for next year and create a good overtaking opportunity. We need that on this track because overtaking is simply too difficult," Rosberg said.
The German cited the difficulties faced by McLaren's Oscar Piastri in overtaking Alpine's Franco Colapinto, despite Piastri having a tire advantage, as an example.
"It was quite shocking. Piastri against Colapinto, for example. Piastri was on fresh tires but couldn't get past. And he was much faster. It's just incredibly difficult to overtake," commented the former champion.
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