Formula 1 will return to Madrid in 2026 with an urban circuit in Ifema

Formula 1 will arrive in Madrid starting in 2026, no less than 45 years after the last time the competition visited Jarama (1981), in a race won by Gilles Villeneuve.

The official announcement had been delayed for months, but finally took place this Tuesday, with the presence of Stefano Domenicali, president and CEO of Formula 1. The Italian executive was accompanied by Isabel Díaz Ayuso, president of the Community, and José Luis Martínez-Almeida, mayor of the capital, who in recent months have been telegraphing the status of the negotiations.

The agreement, which already has the approval of Liberty Media, the promoter of the championship, guarantees Madrid the celebration of the Spanish Grand Prix for a period of ten years, from 2026 to 2035. According to the promoters of the project, The shed will mean an injection of around 450 million euros annually for the city.

In the first edition, the test will coexist with that of Montmeló, whose contract with F1 expires, precisely, once the 2026 event has concluded. Both from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, and from the Government of the Generalitat and also from Liberty Media, a message of optimism is projected by ensuring that work is already underway on the extension of a race that has been held on the Catalan route since 1991. “To avoid doubts and clarify it, the fact that we are in Madrid does not exclude that we can stay in Barcelona.

Looking to the future, there are conversations underway to see if we can really expand our collaboration with Barcelona, ​​with whom we have a very good relationship," said

, with whom the governing bodies of the Generalitat maintain an open communication channel. which aims to exhaust all options to expand the bond between both parties.

The challenge is considerable if we take into account the list of candidates asking for a turn to enter the ring of the great circus, especially from outside Europe.

On this matter, the

of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, expressed confidence in being able to prolong the marriage: “We work for Catalonia, and beyond the fact that the F1 organization can reach agreements with other cities, we continue working for extend the event beyond 2026. It has been held in Catalonia for more than 30 years and the work with the organization is being positive.

“We are moving forward, without comparing ourselves to anyone.”

Barcelona City Council, for its part, expressed its “commitment” to Montmeló and showed its willingness to “increase the current economic contribution.”

Isabel Díaz Ayuso, during her speech at Ifema, this Tuesday.JAVIER SORIANO (AFP)

The preliminary project of the circuit in Madrid, which is still pending approval by the International Automobile Federation (FIA), will have a length of 5,474 km, 20 curves, 8 overpasses, 2 tunnels, 4 overtaking points, a curve spectacular and speed peaks of up to 300 kilometers per hour.

Estimates indicate that the cars will take around 1 minute and 32 seconds to complete a lap, under timed conditions – with hardly any fuel and with new tires.

The capacity will be 110,000 spectators the first year, although 140,000 are expected in 2030. The route would use the Ifema Madrid roads, both from the current venue and the future ones on the Valdebebas plot, in addition to just 1.5 kilometers of public roads, according to a statement from the Madrid venue, which will provide “unprecedented spaces” in F1, such as a covered and air-conditioned

.

“Madrid will prepare an event that will go down in F1 history,” said Domenicali.

The opposition to Ayuso: “We will control every euro”

Ayuso, for his part, promised “ten thousand direct jobs, plus indirect ones,” and avoided referring to his own comments from last weekend, in which he highlighted the supposed “disinterest of the Sánchez Government” in the implementation grand prix march.

From the opposition, Más Madrid, through its leader in the regional Assembly, Manuela Bergerot, showed its skepticism and announced that they will raise these doubts to the Chamber, in order to "avoid embezzlement", or that they will end up paying for the race " Madrileños".

Along the same lines, Juan Lobato, spokesperson for the PSOE in the regional Parliament, recently pointed out the fact that Valdebebas, which lacks infrastructure in his opinion essential, such as a "health center, institute or exchanger", will have before F1: “We will control and supervise every euro.”

More information

The last F1 race at the Jarama circuit

The presentation, carried out in the midst of a festive atmosphere in pavilion number two of Ifema, featured more than 500 guests, a light show and electronic music.

José Vicente de los Mozos, president of the executive committee of the events center, highlighted the virtues of the location chosen when drawing the layout.

“It will be the grand prix best connected by public transport of the entire competition, and neutral in carbon emissions, fully aligned with sustainability policies,” he said.

Ifema expressed in a statement that the longevity of this alliance provides "the necessary horizon to ensure the return of investments and consequently favors the economic viability of this important project."

It so happens that, precisely that, the economic deficit that Jarama, owned by RACE, was dragging, was the element that caused, more than four decades ago, the breakup of the World Cup with Madrid.

The bombast of Ayuso's statements are reminiscent in form and substance of those once released by Francisco Camps, president of the Valencian government, who did not stop until he brought F1 to Valencia, even though the event was only held five times ( 2008-2012), and will leave a tremendous hole in the public coffers and several defendants.

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