Madrid dresses for Formula 1

Formula 1 will return to Madrid. In regional politics, it is hardly an open secret that the Spanish capital will organize the World Cup Grand Prix starting in 2026 under a long-term agreement. An official announcement, which should come from the championship organization itself, is expected next week. It will happen anyway the triumph of the IFEMA project, which, relying exclusively on private funding, convinced Domenicali and the company to turn the capital of Spain into one of the hot poles of the new calendar and equate it with such epicenters as Miami, Las Vegas or Singapore. These are ambitious mirrors of the future Madrid Grand Prix, which will take place on an already planned semi-urban circuit that will run around the city’s exhibition areas and take advantage of the pavilions and surrounding spaces.

This will be an event designed to make the most of the hospitality areas as well as the famous Hard Rock Stadium paddock using IFEMA facilities; but there will also be the huge Spanish fans who have packed the home Grand Prix in recent seasons, as well as the recent good performances of Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz. This inclusion in the upcoming calendars will indirectly influence the future of the current Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit Barcelona-Catalunya. confirmed for 2026 for now as the calendar does not allow for more than 24 races a year due to regulations (although this could be increased) and F1 and the FIA ​​have already said they only want one Grand Prix in Spain. Domenicali himself, the Formula 1 CEO, told AS in June: “I don’t think that in the medium term, beyond 2026, we will be in a situation of having two races in Europe in the same country unless something changes.” and it won’t change. “.

Return of the classics

The 2026 race is set to be the first Formula One race in Madrid since 1981: Jarama hosted the World Championship intermittently between 1968 and this campaign and left victories for Graham Hill, Stewart, Fittipaldi, Lauda, ​​Hunt, Mario Andretti and Gilles Villeneuve in history. . That is why the official slogan says that Formula 1 is returning, albeit under a new scenario. It is this grand prize that fulfills the two main goals that Liberty Media has for its calendar: it is an event of historical tradition. (The Spanish Grand Prix has been held 53 times, the seventh in history) but at the same time with a modern preparation aimed at spectacle, in the style of Miami or Las Vegas, in a Latin and European city with a huge projection.

Although the political interest is public (the president of the region, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, sent a letter to Stefano Domenicali, CEO of Formula 1, reporting interest in organizing the race), The organization of the Madrid Grand Prix is ​​made up entirely of private capital, and its architecture will have little in common with that of the Grand Prix, which was held in Valencia between 2008 and 2012. and it ended unsuccessfully after five editions. Regional institutions are backing it because of the economic impact it would have in a city that is already the world’s epicenter for soccer but has been unsuccessful in its bid to host the Olympics. The award will be presented in 2026. Big prize.