(Madrid) Madrid would be added to the Formula One season schedule, according to multiple sources who spoke with The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The official announcement would be made next week in the Spanish capital, according to the people familiar with the deal. The premier series of motorsport would therefore return to the Madrid region for the first time in more than 40 years.
The people requested anonymity to speak with the AP because they are not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
The details surrounding the holding of an F1 race in Madrid have yet to be defined, but it is suggested that it would be a multi-year agreement which would come into force from 2026.
Barcelona has entered into a valid agreement with F1 to present the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya until 2026.
Numerous Spanish media outlets have reported that negotiations are underway with representatives of Catalonia to try to determine whether it is possible for Madrid to replace Barcelona on the F1 calendar before the current deal is concluded. It is also possible, but unlikely, that there will be two races in Spain in 2026.
The Madrid Grand Prix would take place on a street circuit. Details of the project are expected to be revealed next week.
Madrid Mayor José Luis Martinez-Almeida recently said that “good news” about the Spanish capital was expected next Tuesday.
The president of the administrative region of Madrid, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, said Tuesday that the project with F1 would “improve the brand image of Madrid so much” and that it could “attract other major projects” in the sector.
“We will do everything we can to ensure that this project succeeds,” she said.
The last time F1 presented a race in the Madrid region was at the Jarama circuit in 1981. The Jerez de la Frontera circuit, located in the south of the country, hosted F1 races between 1986 and 1990, as well as in 1994 and 1997. The Barcelona-Catalunya circuit has hosted F1 races from 1991 to the present.
The country also presented the European Grand Prix on a street circuit, in Valencia, between 2008 and 2012.
The contract with Barcelona was renewed until 2026 five years ago, after the circuit’s owners agreed to renovate their facilities ahead of the 2022 season.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix last season.
With Jérôme Pugmire and Jenna Fryer, from the Associated Press