Recent reports have revealed that the 2026 Spanish GP was all set to take place in Madrid instead of Barcelona and it would give the local economy a boost of around $500 million after the race. However, an FIA official has come out to debunk this claim and set the record straight.
Carmelo Sanz de Barros, the FIA Senate President and President of the Spanish Automobile Association, talked about this in the media. He said in a report published by Motorsport Total, “There is a clear process for holding a Grand Prix at a certain location and what you can read does not agree with that.”
It will soon be announced that Madrid has won the deal to host the Spanish Grand Prix from 2026 onwards. The race will take place on a semi-permanent track around the IFEMA convention centre, close to Barajas Airport. The deal will be for 10 years.
— Joe Saward (@joesaward) December 5, 2023
Following this, he added, “Has the Spanish association received the project to date to analyze, study, and outline it? No, they have not seen it yet. This particular step has not yet taken place.”
Admittedly, he seemed to have targeted Joe Saward, a renowned F1 journalist who was one of the first people to break the news. Saward revealed, “The race [in Madrid] will take place on a semi-permanent track around the IFEMA convention center, close to Barajas Airport. The deal will be for 10 years.”
This was also added to the report of the $500 million revenue the Madrid race would generate from 2026. All in all, with the FIA official’s recent statements, the race in the Spanish capital still seems unlikely.
F1 drivers have mixed views about this news
As reports surfaced regarding Barcelona getting replaced by Madrid in 2026, the drivers shared their mixed reactions to it. While some of them welcomed the change, others were not too pleased.
Talking about this, Lewis Hamilton said in a report published by the Associated Press, “I don’t think I would want to lose Barcelona. I do think it’s really important we keep some of the classic circuits, at least the ones that provide great racing.”
| The economic impact of a Spanish GP in Madrid is projected to be over $500 million annually.
Although there is a traditional circuit in Jarama, the event will reportedly be a street race.
[@elmundoes] pic.twitter.com/o2NP1JMGln
— formularacers (@formularacers_) December 5, 2023
On the other hand, Charles Leclerc said, “[Barcelona] is a track that we all know so well as drivers, so it would be strange to not come here. But me personally, I love street tracks. I think just the feeling that you get from it is very, very special. So Madrid would be really nice too.”
Admittedly, both Barcelona and Madrid have a rich history of hosting F1 races in their respective cities. The former has been hosting races every year since 1968, and the latter has hosted races from the late 1960s to the early 1980s.
