F1 In Madrid Not As Close To Realization As Rumored

Wednesday, 13 December 2023 at 13:00

FIA president of the Senate, Carmelo Sanz de Barros, revealed the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid has not yet been confirmed by FIA. In fact, it is far from being homologated.

Rumors sparked last week suggesting the Spanish Grand Prix would be moving from its current venue, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, to a new Street Circuit in Madrid.

The rumor seemed serious as even the Mayor of Madrid mentioned "The negotiations on F1 and Madrid are going reasonably well."

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🚨 | BREAKING : A Madrid Grand Prix at a street circuit in IFEMA is looking very likely by each day José Luis Martínez-Almeida, mayor of Madrid said: "The negotiations on F1 and Madrid are going reasonably well."

Possible Layout of the street race Via Relevo

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However, FIA president of the Senate Carmelo Sanz de Barros recently described there is clear progress that has to be followed in order for the Spanish Grand Prix to move to Madrid, and it is not being followed at the moment.

"There is a clear process to have a grand prix in a place, and I don't think that the process is being followed based on what you read."

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Barros is also the president of the SAF (Spanish Automobile Federation), and he explained the SAF has to be contacted first, which has not happened yet.

"The Spanish automobile federation is where the process starts, because whenever there is a new competition that wants to happen in a country, you have to go to them."

Rumors suggested the Spanish Grand Prix might even be the first European night race. However, the SAF would first have to analyze and study the project.

"So, have the Spanish Federation received as of today this project to be analysed, studied and focused? No, they have not seen it. This special step has not happened yet."

The process is then for SAF to move the project to FIA. Since Barros is a member of both organizations, he has valuable insight into the situation, and he revealed FIA can't approve the track in Madrid if it hasn't received anything.

"So, if the Spanish federation have not received anything, then therefore they have not sent anything to the FIA, so the FIA have not received anything. So, nobody [inside the FIA] has been working so far on this project that has been in the press in the last few days."