Madrid has been making noise about hosting an F1 race and rumors suggest it may join the F1 calendar soon. A street track in the Spanish capital is what is being planned for a possible maiden race in 2026. While the official announcement still awaits, many expect Madrid to replace Barcelona as the host of the Spanish GP. However, the inter-city tussle between these two Spanish cities has intensified over the Grand Prix and has now taken a political turn.
Isabel Diaz Ayuso, president of the Community of Madrid, has defended the city’s bid to host the F1 Grand Prix over Barcelona. She highlighted that Barcelona doesn’t come at an advantage due to their bid. Precisely so, the Catalunya circuit in Barcelona has a contract until 2026.
According to Marca, Ayuso said, “I hope that others know how to be happy for Madrid because we also have the right to receive investments, even if the Government does not help us.” There has always been an epic rivalry between Madrid and Barcelona.
It often shows up during sporting events, especially during soccer. The El Classico tussle involving La Liga clubs FC Barcelona and Real Madrid is the perfect case in point.
It is difficult to fathom if F1 can have two races in Spain. While Barcelona has been a staple on the calendar, the sport’s stakeholders Liberty Media have been pushing for street tracks to add excitement.
Thus, Madrid seems likely to get the nod and probably may replace the Catalunya track as the Spanish GP venue. However, if Barcelona somehow manages to stay on the calendar, with Madrid hosting its namesake GP, it would be epic to see this inter-city rivalry in F1 too.
Why is F1 considering switching the Spanish GP venue to Madrid?
F1 has grown in popularity by leaps and bounds in the past few years. One of the factors behind this is Liberty Media’s bid to expand the sport into new territories. There have been new races coming up in places like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Miami, and Las Vegas, to name a few.
While these events have faced some criticism, it is also bringing in new audiences and a crucial financial boost to F1. Case in point: the Las Vegas GP was part of the plan for F1’s expansion in the USA.
Initially, the street track race in Sin City had a lot of speculative criticism for not being good. However, it turned out to be a humongous success providing great racing and a great show too.
The quality of the tracks to provide good racing has been the major point of contention for these street tracks. This is the same problem Barcelona has been facing for several years, producing dull racing. However, for 2023, the circuit got some changes to homologate and remove the final clunky chicane and provide better racing opportunities.
While it got a mixed response from drivers, it improved racing and following to some extent, making the track more flowing. However, the Catalunya track remains a standard monotonous track with little character to it.
It is a great circuit for testing the cars, as F1 often uses it for pre-season testing. Although with the option to switch to Madrid on a more exciting street track, F1 may consider leaving Barcelona off the calendar.
After all, they would also contemplate the value-cost trade-off for hosting two races in Spain, when many venues aim to host F1. Meanwhile, F1 is already getting criticism against the increasing number of races and three races in the US.
