Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Madrid

  • Madrid to host F2 & F3 races from 2026

    The Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix, set to take place in Madrid from 2026 to 2035, will also feature the FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3 Championships.

    The ten year agreement brings the lower-tier F1 categories to Madrid, enriching the fan experience with not only the thrill of top-tier racing but also the opportunity to witness the merging talents on the road to Formula 1.

    This agreement was signed by FIA F2 and FIA F3 CEO Bruno Michel, Jose Vicente de los Mozos, President of the Executive Committee of IFEMA Madrid, Daniel Martinez, Executive Vice-President of IFEMA Madrid and Luis Garcia Abad, General Director of IFEMA Madrid.

    Having both Formula 2 and Formula 3 racing on the same weekend as Formula 1 underscores the commitment of the Spanish GP organisers to deliver a sporting and entertainment experience for fans.

    I am extremely happy to bring F2 and F3 to Madrid, at this exciting new venue. It’s important that the young drivers in both our championships get to race on as many F1 tracks as possible. With the addition of Madrid to the Formula 1 calendar, it was logical that F2 and F3 would follow suit. I am really looking forward to our cars providing the spectators with some thrilling racing.
    Bruno Michel on the news.

    At IFEMA Madrid, we are very proud to bring F2 and F3 to our Grand Prix alongside F1, as our goal is to make the F1 Spanish Grand Prix 2026-2035 the best event possible. The FIA F2 and FIA F3 categories are fundamental for the future of the sport, as they produce the future stars of F1. This makes the Spanish Grand Prix 2026-2035 an even more unmissable event, offering fans a complete experience full of talent, spectacle, and excitement, with a unique motorsport offering.
    Jose Vicente de los Mozos adds.

  • Envision Racing confirm Palmowski & Powell

    Envision Racing have announced Alisha Palmowski & Alice Powell to join the team for the official ABB FIA Formula E Women’s test session in Madrid.

    Palmowski, 18, has excelled in junior categories during her fledgling career to date, winning the Ginetta Junior Scholarship in 2022 and clinching the Vice-Champion spot in the GB4 Championship this year – where she took home 11 podiums, three race wins and two pole positions during the year.

    Driving alongside Palmowski will be Alice Powell, who has been part of the Envision Racing team since 2021.
    Powell has completed a successful test for them in Berlin during Season 10, completing a huge number of laps to provide crucial data to the team.

    Powell, is the teams Test & Development driver since 2021/22 season. Stepping into the new Gen3 Evo machinery for the first time and Powell’s experience and expertise will provide important baseline information.

    I cannot wait to join Envision Racing for the all-women’s Formula E test this month in Madrid. The car will be both faster and much different to anything I’ve previously driven so it is a great opportunity for me to learn and will be an amazing experience. I cannot thank everyone at Envision Racing enough for the opportunity, and I am also looking forward to working alongside Alice who has some great experience with these cars that I can hopefully learn from.
    Alisha Palmowski on the news.

    I am very happy to be back in a Formula E car for the second time in 2024, after participating in the Berlin rookie test earlier this year. I’m looking forward to getting more laps in and helping the team as much as I can going forward into Season 11 and the GEN3 Evo era of the series. I am very grateful to the team for another chance to drive the car and the trust they continue to put in me.
    Alice Powell on being back with Envision.

    As a team we have never been shy of supporting talented women, and so we are very pleased to see the championship take this step forward in providing a platform for women racing drivers. We’re excited to see Alisha step into Formula E for the first time after a hugely successful season for her, and equally to see Alice back in the car, who is very experienced within our team and the sport. Alisha caught our attention with her strong performances this past season and we are excited to see what she can do in a Formula E car – with Alice alongside her to provide experience and insight, we are sure it will be a rewarding session for all involved.
    Sylvain Filippi, Managing Director & CTO.

  • Madrid to join F1 calendar from 2026

    Formula 1 has announced that the Spanish Grand Prix will be held in Madrid from 2026 to 2035 following an agreement with IFEMA Madrid to bring an all new circuit to the Spanish capital, which will incorporate both street and non-street sections.

    Built around the world-class IFEMA exhibition centre, the 5.47km circuit – subject to FIA homologation and final design specification – will feature 20 corners, with a projected qualifying lap time of 1 minute 32 seconds.

    It is projected to have capacity to host more than 110,00 fans per day across grandstand, general admission and VIP hospitality, while there are plans to grow the circuit’s capacity to 140,000 per day over the first half of the agreement, making Madrid one of the largest venues on the F1 calendar

    Located five minutes from the Madrid-Barajas Aldolfo Suarez airport, the Spanish Grand Prix will become one of the most accessible races on the F1 calendar, with the circuit just a short commute away by Metro, train and city lines.

    F1 is committed to reaching Net Zero Carbon by 2030 and IFEMA Madrid shares the vision to make the Spanish Grand Prix one of the most sustainable F1 events of the season, having greatly reduced its carbon emissions over the last five years and move to 100% renewable energy across all exhibition halls, while any temporary structure built for the race will be constructed using recyclable materials.

    Madrid is an incredible city with amazing sporting and cultural heritage, and today’s announcement begins an exciting new chapter for F1 in Spain. I would like to thank the team at IFEMA MADRID, the Regional Government of Madrid and the city’s Mayor for putting together a fantastic proposal. It truly epitomises Formula 1’s vision to create a multi-day spectacle of sport and entertainment that delivers maximum value for fans and embraces innovation and sustainability.

    Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1.

    Modern Formula 1 cars racing on a new circuit in the Spanish capital city of Madrid is an enticing prospect.As we build towards the introduction of the FIA 2026 Formula One regulations, which have been framed with Net Zero carbon by 2030 in mind, it is pleasing to see that the local organisers have placed a sharp focus on environmental sustainability in their plans for the event. As is customary, the proposed circuit will be subject to FIA homologation and safety checks and calendar approval by the World Motor Sport Council.

    Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA.

    Our dream of hosting a major F1 event around IFEMA MADRID has come true. We are thrilled to announce the return of F1 to Madrid after more than four decades. We have the ambition to organise a Grand Prix that will become a reference in the F1 worldwide calendar, specifically conceptualized and designed to offer a distinctive and unique experience for both fans and teams participating in the competition. With this, Madrid wants to deep dive into the development of a new concept that combines sport and entertainment, while delivering a memorable event.

    Jose Vicente de los Mozos, President of the Executive Committee of IFEMA Madrid.

  • Madrid F1 race a step closer…

    A Formula 1 race in Madrid is a step closer to reality after the boss of the proposed venue insisted that he knows when a deal will be signed.

    The claim was made on Thursday the 13th by Jose Vicente de los Mozos, the president of the executive committee of the IFEMA fairgrounds and convention centre located to the northeast of the Spanish capital.

    Opened in 1991 IFEMA has become a major centre for conferences and conventions, and there is enough land in and around it to form the basis of a race circuit, with the existing buildings called into use.

    Since March it has been the host of the officially-sanctioned and well-received F1 Exhibition, which in effect has served to help the city to stake its claim for a race event.

    Barcelona currently has a deal to run the Spanish GP until 2026, and it’s not clear yet if the plan is for the new event to eventually take over the title, or if it will run as the Madrid GP.

    The Madrid area previously hosted F1 when the Spanish HP was held at Jarama, to the east of the city and not much further away from the centre than the new venue.

    The track first held the race in 1968, initially alternating with Montjuich Park in Barcelona, which co-incidentally like the proposed new venue was a street track adjacent to an exhibition facility.

    I know when we’re going to sign it and when we’re going to do it. We have followed the process indicated to us. The Spanish Automobile Federation has been informed from the first moment, we have signed exclusivity, and now we are advancing with the contract.

    De Los Mozos on a future race deal.

    It is true that Madrid wants to host a race in the future. And no decision has been taken so far. That’s another great sign of the state of the health of F1. And this is the right competition that will not involve at all any political discussion, only commercial and technical and sporting discussion we’ll be taking the next couple of months. And for the best of F1 we will take the right decision. I’m sure about it. But we need to remember that we still have years of contract with Barcelona, and we are really very, very happy with the way that Barcelona is handling the future because, of course, this has helped them to react, to push for the improvement that is needed at all levels, everywhere. And then this, of course, is in a moment where we have Fernando [Alonso] performing incredibly well, and we have Carlos Sainz in Ferrari. Both of them have a lot of fans. We see that the TV rating figure is growing incredibly well in Spain. So the market is very, very strong now. And so that’s great that we have these kinds of hopes for the future.

    Stefano Domencali speaking to F1’s own Beyond the Grid podcast.

  • Madrid interested in hosting F1 race

    Madrid, has officially expressed an interest in hosting a Formula One race, the city’s regional government announced last month.

    Although there are no Formula One-grade tracks in Madrid, and Spain already hosts a race in Barcelona which is contracted until 2026, the Spanish capital believes they can open talks with F1 organisers, Liberty Media about hosting a race.

    I would like to confirm our commitment to you and to this project, as well as our willingness to sign the appropriate agreements to promote the race and offer a great sporting and entertainment spectacle.

    Local government cabinet minister, Enrique Lopez.

    Madrid hosted F1 Grand Prix’s between 1968 and 1981 at the Jarama Circuit, which is our dated and would need a major upgrade to be able to host a race again.

    Last year, the local government of Morata de Tajuna, 36km south of Madrid, confirmed that it was seeking to build an FIA Grade 1 circuit with the ambition of hosting Formula 1 as well as Moto GP.

    My Opinion-

    Part of me would love a new track for Spain, but there is also a part of me that’s thinking we have a good track, and there’s probably other tracks which could do with updating before we go and get new ones when the one we have now is okay?