FIA chief sends WARNING over exciting race

F1 News & Gossip

FIA chief sends WARNING over exciting race

Carmelo Sanz de Barros warned that a Madrid race may not be the slam dunk it appears

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Monday 11 December 2023 15:57

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FIA president of the Senate, Carmelo Sanz de Barros, has warned that the Spanish Grand Prix's reported move to Madrid isn't as nailed on as previously thought.

De Barros is also the head of the Spanish Automobile Federation and revealed that while he'd be in favour of having a race in the capital, he doesn't believe the correct processes are yet in place to confirm a move.

Speaking to media at the FIA awards gala, he claimed that the Spanish Federation have not received a proposal for the hypothetical street circuit in Madrid, and as such haven't been able to pass the matter along to the FIA.

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Reports have claimed that the Spanish event could move from Barcelona as soon as 2026 but, while he didn't explicitly rule that out, he warned that the two-year process to green light a new event wasn't underway.

The Spanish Grand Prix has been in Barcelona for all of the 2000s

A Madrid Grand Prix would be a home race for Carlos Sainz Jr., who was born in the city

Michael Schumacher won his first Ferrari race with a classic performance in Barcelona

De Barros: We have not seen a Madrid GP proposal

"There is a clear two-year process to having a Grand Prix in a place, and I don't think that the process is being followed and the steps of the process have been taken. Who is the authority? The sporting authority in our country in the case of Spain is the Spanish Automobile Federation and this is where the processes start.

"Wherever there is a new competition that wants to happen in our country, you go to but, but the Spanish Federation has not received a project to be analysed to study and focus [on the proposals]. They have not seen it.

"This first step has not happened, and when the Spanish Federation consider that this is a valid program that they are interested in, they channel to the FIA. We are talking about a semi-urban circuit and the first thing that you have to do is homologate, certify and who is doing all of this? The FIA.

"Then when you have all things, there is still another step, and that is the big battle, now more than of a few years ago, of being included on the calendar, because there is a waiting list.

"It has to be approved, that one of the 22-24 races is going to happen in Madrid, which is another part of the process that has not happened yet."

Spanish Grand Prix