Spanish derby
We are in Formula 1 and not in the Spanish football league, but a new derby between Madrid and Barcelona seems to be looming on the horizon. No football duel between Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema however, but a battle for national supremacy in Formula 1. The clear and constant commercial growth of the sport in fact appeals to many and for some time the city of Madrid has been pushing to try to enter the Formula 1 calendar with an own race.
There are two options on the table: a race on the historic Jarama track, obviously renovated, or a city race through the streets of the Iberian capital. However, Madrid’s legitimate aspirations collide with the present situation, which sees Barcelona as the proud venue for the Spanish Grand Prix, with a solid contract that is available until the 2026 season. In the past, the Spanish venue seriously risked losing its place on the calendar the F1 train and now it absolutely does not want to find itself in a similar situation, as evidenced by the constant improvements made to the circuit.
Spain a key location, on and off the track
Madrid on the other hand is expressing its desire for motorsport increasingly clear, as evidenced by the F1 Exhibition hosted in these days. Precisely on this occasion, former Scuderia Ferrari boss and current Formula 1 President, Stefano Domenicali, analyzed the situation, pointing to a possible ‘derby’ between the nomination of the Spanish capital and the symbolic city of Catalonia:
“In Madrid they are working to host a race and Formula 1 is happy to have so many alternatives – the Italian manager told in an interview for the Spanish sports newspaper Marca – Formula 1 is increasingly popular all over the world and we know the passion that exists in Spain. I worked with Fernando (Alonso) and I know him well. It is a pleasure to see how interest continues to grow in Spain, also thanks to Carlos (Sainz)”.
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One sport for two
Circumstantial words aside, however, Stefano Domenicali was quite clear in almost categorically excluding the possibility that Spain, as is already the case for Italy and the United States, could host several events in the same season: “We know the interest of Madrid and obviously also from Barcelona and it’s great news for us – concluded the CEO of Formula 1 – in life you can never say never, but doing two races in Spain is obviously very difficult. We are happy with Barcelona, who have a contract with them and we have a strong relationship, but it is true that Madrid wants to play its chances. So we’ll see. All this is good for Formula 1“ – Stefano Domenicali admitted.
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