He The Spanish F1 Grand Prix last weekend was a party. Over 125,000 spectators at Sunday’s race. Almost 300,000 over the weekend. And the best: a younger fan base and, for the first time in many years, with a Spanish majority. Fans flocked to the home from an early hour, wearing Aston Martin and Ferrari jerseys. Also from Red Bull, McLaren or Mercedes. The city of Barcelona also experienced the magic of F1 with Port Vell’s ‘F1 Village’with activities for all audiences, where the previous official presentation was made, including Carlos Sainz, Pedro de la Rosa and Marc Gene in front of hundreds of fans.
The city lost with the event and that was something that Liberty Media, owner of F1, liked. The GP organization has only one ‘but’, the management of route accesses and exits by road. Points that are very important and need to be improved. And this is apart from the competition, one of the themes of the weekend is the future of the Spanish GP and Madrid’s interest in holding the race at Ifema-Valdebebas.
A highly relevant source assured MD weeks ago that “the GP in Ifema will take place, definitely, in 2027”. But, on the other hand, there is what the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has to offer, with an F1 contract until 2026 (inclusive) and room to negotiate. “This year we have completed the 33rd F1 Grand Prix. We have a contract until 2026 and a very good relationship with F1. They congratulated us for what we did in the village. We have improved a lot and we have the direct participation of F1 on the podium and eSports, in the wind tunnel and for next year it will be even bigger”, said Josep Lluís Santamaría, director of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
“Madrid or Barcelona? We will make the right decision”
F1 is a lot of fun in development. Stefano Dominicali, CEO of Liberty, pointed out to the newspaper ‘As’ that “the things I see happening now should have come earlier, but that’s fine”and emphasized that “I see something I’ve been asking for for years: the city seems to finally understand that we are here. Two years ago they looked elsewhere. That’s important if you want to hope”. The policies of the previous municipal government are still painful and unhelpful. But Domenicali highlights the Circuit’s predisposition to continue making investments and improvements.
Yes, he admitted “It is a fact that Madrid wants to organize a GP” and will have to choose between one of the two projects, as he does not believe it is possible to have two GPs in Spain on the same calendar. “In the next… I don’t want to say months, we will make the right decision for the good of the sport. Considering the offer, the two projects are on the table. If you ask me if there is room for two grand prix in Spain, I don’t think it is possible, but I don’t want to rule it out forever. This is something that could happen in Europe. Like spinning”, said the Italian, considering that too competition will “only bring about positive effects”.
The FIA speaks of “noise in the system” and that “there is none”
The confidence with which Domenicali speaks about the Madrid project contradicts the confidence of Carmelo Sanz de Barros, president of RACE and president of the FIA Senate, and Manuel Aviñó, president of the Royal Spanish Automobile Federation (RFEDA) and European vice president of the FIA.
“The noise in the system. There is absolutely nothing,” said Sanz de Barros.The system works like this: Any request for the homologation of a circuit, working on plans and doing things like this, the first recipient is the Spanish Federation and then it comes to the FIA and it is studied and considered. Once all this is resolved and it is live, we talk to FOM, which is the commercial side to make the event financially viable. The FIA has not received any documents and nothing.”he commented.
“Then it was said: is there political will in Madrid to take F1 there? Yes. Have there been any talks? Yes. But we are in a difficult transition situation. We just finished the municipal elections, now the general election has been called. And, if you ask me what will happen, I say nothing will happen until September. If the political forecasts discussed are met and the stars align and the Spanish Government agrees with the Government of the Community of Madrid and they really work together, then maybe this project of trying to rule F1 will start in Madrid”, he explained.
The operating hours of Madrid according to the FIA
“In the situation of this country… forget that nothing will happen before September. There has to be an election, a government has to be formed and the intention has to be confirmed. When the intention is made by the leaders, they have to start working, present credible projects, be it IFEMA, Jarama or Jerez”, added Carmelo Sanz de Barros, recalling that the result of the municipal elections in Barcelona should be in favor of relations between the city and Formula 1 from now on: “Those problems seem to have disappeared to support Barcelona and they are even talking about big investments in this circuit.”
“If we want to have another F1 test in Spain, we have to develop the projects, because in all the cases mentioned, they have to make an investment and they have to adapt it. It is not enough to take F1 there tomorrow So, I think, in the best scenarios, by the end of the year, someone can develop a project with enough credibility to talk to the Spanish Federation, with the FIA to see if we approve it and then came commercial talks with FOM”, he reiterated. .
And then it is necessary to create the circuit. “You have to see the times. What we have now is a reality. We will see what will come, because making a circuit is not a matter of two days”, recalls Aviñó, strong in his speech: “The goal of RFEDA is to have a GP in Spain. What the Spanish Federation will fight for is having a GP here, but we will not allow an internal war between Madrid and Barcelona. It would be absurd”.
Torrent, sure that F1 will stay in Barcelona
“We are convinced that the relationship between Barcelona and Formula 1 will last for many years. It is a GP with tradition and a circuit that is part of F1 culture and we are updating it. It is already a top circuit in F1 and a strong investment is being made. We want to be a referential facility from the point of view of sustainability, unique in the world”, the president of the Circuit and Minister of Business and Labor of the Generalitat, Roger Torrent.
“We are convinced that this symbiosis in F1 will last for many years. We have a contract until 2026. The relationship with F1 is more than what the contract says. He is very positive and we understand each other. We are convinced that we will have a great journey together”, concluded Torrent. But, on the other hand, Madrid is pressing.
In Madrid, optimists
Miguel Ángelo Rodríguez, head of Ayuso’s Cabinet, and José Vicente de los Mozos, head of Ifema, attended the last F1 Miami GP to notice an event that should serve as a reference to your project, a clear example of what F1 is looking for for its present and future, in urban races, with easy access to the city itself and ideal for offering a very productive ‘VIP pack’ from an economic point of view for F1. Alexander Agag recently told a group of Spanish journalists, including MD, at Extreme E in Scotland that “I see it very feasible to have F1 in Madrid, what I hear is that it is very good, so it seems”.
The president of CAM, Isabel Díaz-Ayuso recently said that she sees “very close” that Madrid could have an F1 test in 2027. “We are very close, the truth. The talks are going very well. We are very positive but we still have to wait a while, a short time”he assured ‘Vozpopuli’.
And the Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida said in May that negotiations between Ifema and Formula 1 for Madrid to hold the GP were “reasonably well”. It will be F1 that makes the final decision.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
