Formula 1 arrives in Madrid this weekend, betting that a city obsessed with football has room for another global spectacle. The new Madring circuit, built next to the city’s airport, hosts the grand prix. It is F1’s first race in the Spanish capital since 1981, and it raises a question the sport’s own expansion has made urgent: does F1, which has experienced a huge rise in popularity elsewhere, need another track in its crowded European heartland?
Local fans are intrigued but cautious. “There is pride in our sport, Madrid is an open city with open people and open minds,” one said. “The race can take Madrid’s identity outside of football.”
The football shadow
Madrid is not an easy market to crack. Real Madrid are considered the greatest football club in history. They have won 15 European Cups and 36 La Liga titles. Their Galacticos era began with Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo and now includes Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe.
Some 75,000 Madridistas packed the Bernabeu in August to watch Mbappe’s deft volley make it 3-0 against Malaga. Atletico Madrid sit close behind in La Liga. The city’s sporting needs appear well met.
F1 last had a Spanish world champion 20 years ago. Spain’s only champion was Fernando Alonso. There hasn’t been a race in Madrid since 1981. Barcelona, however, already hosts a grand prix, and one fan said they have attended races there.
“We’ve always been dreaming of having something from F1 closer to home,” another fan said. “Having it back is great. I’ve been to Barcelona and the Belgian GP and I think let’s see how it goes.”
Luis Garcia Abad’s unicorn
The Madring project began as nothing more than talk.
“It started as a joke, it was a fantasy,” said Luis Garcia Abad, Madring boss and former manager to Fernando Alonso, Spain’s only world champion. “An F1 grand prix is like a unicorn — you are trying always to see the unicorn but at the end you realise sometimes it’s impossible.”
Abad said the idea took shape about seven or eight years ago, when Ifema, the quasi-state owned organisation that runs the expo area, called him to ask about viability.
“After one morning here I said: ‘It’s possible,'” he said.
The circuit sits in an expo zone that outsiders may see as unloved, a flat, blocky area far from the flamenco-inspired boutiques of the Salamanca district. Organisers signed a contract for 10 years.
“The queue of cities trying to organise an F1 GP is huge,” Abad said. “They have to choose right.”
The Monumental corner
The track’s signature feature is a 26-degree banked corner called Monumental, substantially longer than the one at Zandvoort, home of the Dutch Grand Prix. It cuts through what will feel like a small town on race day, with a VIP viewing area that could house the King of Spain and his family. It sits like a castle on top of a hill.
“Luis wanted to think of something recognisable in our circuit. Something iconic,” said Carlos Jimenez, operations director for Ifema.
The corner is difficult to walk up, and in 44C heat, impossible to sit on. Abad said more than 30,000 people could gather around it.
“It’s a real experience, not just to be in Madrid but for F1,” Abad said. “Every part of the track has its own personality. Monumental… Turn 12, is huge, amazing.”
Building through the rain
The track build was not easy. Spain saw its wettest winter in 20 years during construction.
“There were a lot of challenges,” Jimenez said. “We started building it in the wettest winter in 20 years in Spain. The rain was torrential. We suffered a lot, and had to stabilise parts of clay which behaves badly with wet conditions. It was very challenging. There are three layers of asphalt here. We learnt from one layer to the next.”
The track itself cost 85m euros, with an additional 65m euros invested in construction around the circuit. Power comes from renewable energy, and the site makes partial use of existing buildings. Jimenez said the design lends itself to sustainability.
Madrid is relatively small compared to other high-profile capitals, and has high-quality public transport. Organisers are cutting out many car parks and asking fans to leave their own vehicles at home.
Don’t expect Patrick Dempsey, Rafael Nadal and Mbappe to ride the metro, though. They will use VIP spaces near the expansive six-strong paddock.
Fans wait and see
Fans are curious but cautious. The first year of any grand prix tends to have teething problems.
“Organising tends to be messy in the first year — I don’t want to be the guinea pig,” one fan said. “Let’s hope it brings the city more into the spotlight. Madrid has a lot to learn from F1 about how to run a global spectacle; F1 could probably learn the true Spanish way.”
Another said: “I’m more than excited… I’m curious — I want to see how it goes.”
Key facts
- 15 European Cups won by Real Madrid
- 36 La Liga titles won by Real Madrid
- 75,000 Madridistas at the Bernabeu for Mbappe’s volley against Malaga
- 3-0 the score when Mbappe scored
- 26 degrees the bank of the Monumental corner
- 30,000+ spectators expected around Monumental
- 85m euros the cost of the track alone
- 65m euros additional investment in construction
- 10 years the length of Madrid’s F1 contract
- 1981 the last year Madrid hosted an F1 race
What to know about the Madring weekend
- The venue: Madring sits in an expo area run by Ifema next to Madrid’s airport.
- The headline corner: Monumental is a 26-degree banked turn built for more than 30,000 spectators.
- The cost: The track alone ran to 85m euros, with 65m euros more in surrounding construction.
- The contract: Madrid is committed to hosting F1 for 10 years.
- The history: No F1 race has been held in Madrid since 1981.
The weekend will show whether Madrid’s football faithful will turn their attention to the roar of engines. One fan captured the mood: “Barcelona is more international, the drivers and fans coming to Madrid will get more of a taste of Spain.”
Source: bbc.co.uk
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