Madrid's Madring opens with noise law suspended and 800 fewer trees
Madrid hosts its F1 GP with the noise law suspended, 800 trees felled and the Circuit de Catalunya as a warning: 140 million in public losses.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Madring: an urban circuit with the noise law suspended
A Formula 1 Grand Prix in Madrid has required, in order to take place, temporarily suspending noise regulations and clearing nearly 800 trees in a residential area. The paradox is hard to ignore: the event is sold as an economic showcase for the city, while the accounts of the circuit that already existed in Spain tell the opposite story. The Circuit de Catalunya has been in the red since 2009 and has received more than 140 million euros from public administrations over the last decade, mainly from the Generalitat.
A circuit on a wasteland, not on a city
The track occupies the plot where the MadCool festival used to be held, an event that was withdrawn precisely because of neighbourhood noise complaints. On that land, half a new circuit and half a road have been built, with steel plates on the asphalt that, according to those who drive over them daily, punish any vehicle's suspension when passing over them. Some describe it as the first urban track built partly on a wasteland and that, far from using the free space to create run-off areas, has been filled with walls until the layout becomes a mousetrap.
Safety: the car that flew in practice
Before the race, F3 drivers expressed doubts about whether the circuit met the conditions to compete. One of the images that circulated showed a single-seater that rode too high on a kerb, flew slightly and landed nose-first, destroying the front wing. The historical precedent weighs heavily: the Montjuïc street circuit, considered one of the best for decades, was retired after the tragedy of the 1975 Spanish GP, with five deaths among spectators and personnel. Since then, only Monaco has retained its urban character on the calendar.
Those who were there: expensive tickets and transport on point
Not everything was criticism. Those who came from abroad highlighted the organisation: access every few minutes, frictionless arrival and a top-level Grand Prix, with tickets sold out at high prices and strong sponsors. Charles Leclerc even said that "La Monumental" could become one of the most iconic corners in the World Championship. On the downside, the same weekend: collapsed metro lines, almost 15 minutes between trains and no air conditioning during the event, with elderly people fainting.
Who pays for the party
The bill is the point no one closes. The breakdown of the investment, item by item, does not appear in any balance sheet that has been made public beyond isolated references: tickets offered from 300 euros in provisional grandstand areas. Critics argue that the circuit relies on a legal suspension that expires when the races end. Defenders reply with the comparative argument: if Catalonia burned 140 million on its circuit without anyone resigning, there is no reason to tear one's clothes over Madrid. And in the background, the reorganisation of the calendar: Belgium sees Spa in danger, and Montmeló and Madring would alternate in alternate years.
How much does an urban Grand Prix really cost, one that needs to suspend a law in order to exist?
A Formula 1 Grand Prix in Madrid has required, in order to take place, temporarily suspending noise regulations and clearing nearly 800 trees in a residential area. The paradox is hard to ignore: the event is sold as an economic showcase for the city, while the accounts of the circuit that already existed in Spain tell the opposite story. The Circuit de Catalunya has been in the red since 2009 and has received more than 140 million euros from public administrations over the last decade, mainly from the Generalitat.
A circuit on a wasteland, not on a city
The track occupies the plot where the MadCool festival used to be held, an event that was withdrawn precisely because of neighbourhood noise complaints. On that land, half a new circuit and half a road have been built, with steel plates on the asphalt that, according to those who drive over them daily, punish any vehicle's suspension when passing over them. Some describe it as the first urban track built partly on a wasteland and that, far from using the free space to create run-off areas, has been filled with walls until the layout becomes a mousetrap.
Safety: the car that flew in practice
Before the race, F3 drivers expressed doubts about whether the circuit met the conditions to compete. One of the images that circulated showed a single-seater that rode too high on a kerb, flew slightly and landed nose-first, destroying the front wing. The historical precedent weighs heavily: the Montjuïc street circuit, considered one of the best for decades, was retired after the tragedy of the 1975 Spanish GP, with five deaths among spectators and personnel. Since then, only Monaco has retained its urban character on the calendar.
Those who were there: expensive tickets and transport on point
Not everything was criticism. Those who came from abroad highlighted the organisation: access every few minutes, frictionless arrival and a top-level Grand Prix, with tickets sold out at high prices and strong sponsors. Charles Leclerc even said that "La Monumental" could become one of the most iconic corners in the World Championship. On the downside, the same weekend: collapsed metro lines, almost 15 minutes between trains and no air conditioning during the event, with elderly people fainting.
Who pays for the party
The bill is the point no one closes. The breakdown of the investment, item by item, does not appear in any balance sheet that has been made public beyond isolated references: tickets offered from 300 euros in provisional grandstand areas. Critics argue that the circuit relies on a legal suspension that expires when the races end. Defenders reply with the comparative argument: if Catalonia burned 140 million on its circuit without anyone resigning, there is no reason to tear one's clothes over Madrid. And in the background, the reorganisation of the calendar: Belgium sees Spa in danger, and Montmeló and Madring would alternate in alternate years.
How much does an urban Grand Prix really cost, one that needs to suspend a law in order to exist?
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (357 replies).
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