Madrid I couldn’t wait to announce my return. Formula 1 World Cup. Hours before the presentation that marked the return of the ‘Great Circus’ to the capital authority, the message ‘Welcome Back’ was displayed on many buses belonging to the Municipal Transportation Company. Beyond the ‘claim’ there were two extremely relevant pieces of information. Date on one side: 2026, 45 years after F1 said goodbye to Jarama. On the other hand, the name: Spanish GP, the name is still in the hands of Montmeló. His contract with Formula 1 Management will expire in exactly two years..
“Can two races be held in Spain? Why not?”
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali chose to draw elegance when asked after the event about the coexistence of Madrid and Barcelona on the World Cup calendar.. “Can two races be held in Spain? Why not?” The Italian president responded after finishing an event in which he also recalled the Montmeló route.
Sources familiar with the negotiations tell this newspaper that the biggest obstacle to the continuation of the Catalan test is funding. Payment of both reinforcement and wage (22 million euros per year). The aim of holding the Spanish GP in Madrid is to be 100% privately funded.
They want to avoid situations like the ill-fated European GP in Valencia. That community’s government in June finalized the $7.5 million the former president of the Generalitat Francisco Camps paid for the F1 urban track. promised at zero cost.
According to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya’s latest strategic plan dated January 2022, the route’s activities create 326 million and 2,670 jobs; The Generalitat is also firmly committed to this course because of the eternal dilemma with Madrid. However, the income statement is not positive. The organizing company needs minimum income If the envisaged benefit is not achieved, the Generalitat must cover the difference. For example, in 2021, 19 million people had to leave the public purse.
Ayuso: “I would like the Grand Prix to continue in Barcelona”
In the last 15 years, the ‘circuit’ needed 100 million support from institutions. “We are working for Catalonia in Catalonia. We continue to work to go beyond 2026, beyond the Formula 1 organization being able to reach agreements with other cities. The championship has been held in Catalonia for more than 30 years. “We are moving forward,” Generalitat president Pere Aragonés said.
Faced with this defensive position, the President of the Madrid Community, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, based on the advantageous position of the new Spanish GP, said: “I would like the Grand Prix to continue in Barcelona. “I don’t want any projects to leave any part of Spain.” Although it was the decidedly non-political part of the project that placed the Madrid GP ahead.
Ifema Executive Committee President José Vicente de los Mozos led the negotiations with the organization led by Stefano Domenicali. They both maintain an excellent relationship stemming from the positions they hold in companies in the automotive sector. De los Mozos is currently Indra’s CEO, but as he recalled at the presentation, his career was linked to the engine until a year ago..
De los Mozos is the key figure of the Spanish GP in Madrid
This independent profile is also linked to Ifema, the institution that will be the epicenter of the Spanish GP. The equation is perfect. The candidate led by De los Mozos also managed to understand perfectly what Formula 1 is looking for, the symbiosis between tradition and spectacle. The Jarama circuit hosted a World Championship event until 1981. As a result, Madrid chose a new project that will serve as a locomotive for tourism and economy.
The name ‘Spanish Grand Prix’ also lends support to the event, which will pass through Ifema and be fully integrated into the route designed by Dromo CEO Jarno Zafelli, who is responsible for the remodeling of the Zandvoort (Netherlands) circuit. Various tests carried out on national territory were included in the calendar together. European GPs were held in Jerez and Valencia but this name was lost in 2016.
But all the details are concentrated on the roof of the Generalitat and Montmeló, a circuit steeped in history; However, this factor has recently remained in the background. Formula 1 has become a worldwide spectacle Markets like the US that Madrid supporters have their eye on. While the Spanish capital’s calculus is in favour, Barcelona’s calculus is unfavorable.