Television coverage is lighting up the conversation about Formula 1 and money in the Spanish political landscape. In the show Està passant on TV3, voices lament the loss of Formula 1 attention to Madrid while joking about ongoing asset grabs. The discussion turns playful yet pointed, noting that corporations, music festivals, and even public figures are not immune to financial pressure. The piece recalls a different Formula 1 venture in Valencia, promoted by Francisco Camps between 2008 and 2012, which ended in a large deficit funded by local taxpayers. The memory is used to question whether Madrid could mirror Valencia’s fate, a cautionary tale that resonates through the debate about public investment and prestige projects.
As the chat shifts, El intermedio on La Sexta joins the critique with satire. A skit imagines Isabel Díaz Ayuso driving a racing car along a track that does not exist yet, while Sandra Sabates revisits Valencia to expose the financial drain and the abandoned project that left a troubled site behind a layer of public spending. The sketch suggests that Madrid might be headed toward a similar outcome unless careful choices are made. Yet a broader view reveals a larger pattern. The political party in charge, which has directed public works, sports, and urban programs, faces a broad field of missteps and unnecessary costs. A long-standing collaborator of El intermedio, Erik Harley, has previously aired segments that spotlight costly, even extravagant, projects funded by public money. These include airports lacking service and other grand plans that fail to deliver, creating a landscape of what is described as wasteful expenditure, such as a vast, unused site that cost hundreds of millions.
On the day the announcement came that Madrid would join Formula 1, a special report aired on TN vespre. It revealed figures suggesting Madrid would pay tens of millions each year to the F1 organization, while Montmeló experiences different levels of support from the Generalitat. The numbers emphasize that the idea of zero cost for Formula 1 is not accurate in practice. This coverage also presents a graph of the funds the regional government has allocated to Montmeló since 1991, offering a transparent view of public spending. The aim is not to score points but to educate viewers about whether such expenditures should be viewed as investments or simple costs to be shouldered by taxpayers. The intention is to provide a clear, practical perspective for citizens as they assess public projects and their long-term value, encouraging informed discussion about prioritization and accountability.