The last Formula 1 Grand Prix held at the Jarama circuit, back in 1981, had one of the closest finishes on record with the Canadian Gilles Villeneuve crossing the finish line at the controls of his Ferrari with four cars in tow in less than a second and a half. But even tighter, it aims to be the photo finish of the candidate cities to become part of the great automobile circus in a struggle in which Madrid aspires to once again gain a foothold.
The idea was announced by the regional government last October. And at first it sounded little more than a toast to the sun, just like, a few months before, what had happened with the trial balloon to restart the race for the Olympic Games that slipped from the capital's City Hall after the resounding failures of 2012. , 2016 and 2020.
But the truth is that the initiative not only has not lost steam, but is already on the table of the International Automobile Federation (FIA). Something that has triggered the illusion of fans of four wheels, including the regional president herself, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who has dared to predict that F-1 will arrive in the capital in the next legislature. Possibly in 2027.
The optimism lies in the good reception of the project that Miguel Ángel Rodríguez and José Vicente de los Mozos broke down in person to Stefano Domenicali, CEO of F-1, during the last Miami GP. In a paddock full of stars of the star system such as the actors Tom Cruise and Vin Diesel or the singers Shakira or Will.i.am, Ayuso's chief of staff and the president of the Madrid Fair institution (Ifema) took the opportunity to present their credentials and take note of the benefits of a grand prize that Madrid has as an example to follow. Both for its urban layout, which is a tendency of Liberty Media, owner of the exploitation rights, to bring the races closer to the cities, and for the concept of the Grand Prix in which, the race as such, would be accompanied by a proposal of "entertainment in capital letters" amplified by a wide cultural and gastronomic offer.
Madrid's offer is based on a semi-urban circuit just over five kilometers long, following what is set by the latest races added to the calendar such as Miami or Las Vegas. The pit lane, boxes and paddock would be organized around one of the two straight lines arranged in the Ifema car park. While the twistiest area with slow curves and a chicane would run through the streets of the Valdebebas district –next to the Real Madrid sports complex– where it would be reached through a tunnel, similar to the Fairmont hotel, which would run under the road M-11 that gives access from the center of the capital to the Barajas airport.
The novelty, with respect to other World Cup races, would lie in the possibility that, in the final stretch, before returning to the finish line, the single-seaters could cross one of the pavilions that make up the fairgrounds.
The choice of 2027 as the year for Madrid to enter the calendar has raised many suspicions since the contract signed by the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya GP expires in 2026. From the Community of Madrid they reject any controversy and ensure that their candidacy "is not detrimental" to any other but "solely intends to generate wealth and promote tourism and the Madrid brand."
For this they argue that there is a precedent – from 2008 to 2012 with the European GP in Valencia and the Spanish GP in Barcelona. And they add that the resurgence of fervor for F-1 in Spain, thanks to the good season of Fernando Alonso and the pull of Carlos Sainz, justifies by itself that there could be two national appointments.
Although he will have to find new arguments, at least to convince Domenicali himself, who this week declared on the official F-1 podcast that he does not believe that Madrid and Barcelona can coincide in the World Cup.
Meanwhile, Madrid will have to settle for F1 The Exhibition, the first Formula 1 traveling exhibition that, before being shown in other countries, has extended its stay in the capital. Although the fuse has already lit and there are not a few visitors who, upon leaving, precisely in Ifema, play at drawing in the air with their index fingers what the dream track would be like with which to see F-1 again in the capital 40 years after the victory of the Canadian Aviator in Jarama.
