"Whether F1 will leave Barcelona has nothing to do with GP Madrid"

Rumours of a Madrid Grand Prix are growing stronger. It is still unclear whether the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona will disappear in that case, or whether the country will host two Formula 1 races. Isabel Diaz Ayuso, president of the Madrid autonomous community, addresses the envisaged F1 project in the Spanish capital.

Diaz Ayuso stresses that the possible disappearance of the GP at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has nothing to do with the possible arrival of an F1 race in Madrid in 2026. "Whether Formula 1 leaves Barcelona or not has nothing to do with Madrid," says the Madrid president in conversation with Spanish newspaper El Mundo,

She continued: "If an event is in danger at a certain moment, I would rather it stay in Madrid or in another Spanish region rather than go to another country. I hope others realise how they should be happy for Madrid, because we also have the right to receive investment, even if the government does not help us."

So Madrid need not count on government help, Diaz Ayuso hinted. "We have reached a point where I don't even ask the government for help. The government is aware of this because there are many people involved in this kind of negotiation, but I have not seen any interest on their part to support us. The relationship between the two governments is not optimal at the moment," she explained.

Should the Madrid Grand Prix indeed get a spot on the F1 calendar, the Madrid president warns in advance: "Madrid will have the best Grand Prix in Formula 1," Diaz Ayuso said.