by PINO ALLIEVI
Madrid returns to F1 after over 40 years
Madrid returns to Formula 1? It's beautiful, because it's a capital that has loved grand prix races and has witnessed historic racing moments, such as Gilles Villeneuve's victory in 1981, when he kept up with Ferrari with thrilling braking. , a pack of furious pursuers. And Enzo Ferrari, in front of the TV, had confirmation that he had hired a wild driver ready for anything like the ones he liked, from Nuvolari to Guy Moll and ending with Stirling Moss, the unrealized dream.
The history between F1 and Madrid
At the time we raced on the circuit of Jarama, a stone's throw from Barajas airport. Challenging, thrilling track, which King Juan Carlos, a constant presence in the pits, liked so much. A circuit that was not very forgiving of mistakes and which, over time, had become dangerous, as demonstrated by a thrilling accident in which Carlos Reutemann was the protagonist with the Ferrari, when he flew over the guardrail and risked ending up on a cliff.
In 1986, he took over from Jarama Jerez and in 1991 the completely new circuit of Montmeloon the outskirts of Barcelona, a modern, safe track, very challenging for cars and drivers, so much so that it is considered the most indicative of a car's performance. It is clear that Spain will not be able to have two grand prix in the future (the bitter discussion also applies to Italy)so Madrid will gain the upper hand, with a difficult dispute with Barcelona and Catalunya with far from negligible political implications, given that the money for the new grand prix comes both from the Madrid region and from the central government.
Compromises and contradictions
But the story is different: can Formula 1 continue to accumulate city circuits, completely scarifying the technical and sporting side? Because with routes inside metropolises the limits are very evident and at this point it becomes legitimate to ask what purpose vehicles like the current ones which cost hundreds of millions of euros are used if the performance is then suffocated by needs of another kind. Nelson Piquet many years ago had a very colorful expression when asked what he thought of the Monaco Grand Prix: «It's like walking into a glassware shop with an elephant» he ruled. But if this Formula 1 is only looking for show, what need is there for hybrid engines, energy recovery and other very expensive solutions that have projections on the production car of tomorrow? Wouldn't it be better to adapt to a one-design formula, with semi-standard engines (we're almost there today) with limited costs, without throwing useless investments out the window?
Having taken the slopes road towns – comfortable, easily accessible and so on – is equivalent to having abdicated the technical function of the grand prix. The new F.1 progressively renounces the past and takes a cinematic direction that cuts the umbilical cord with its origins. Which doesn't mean the show is lacking, let's be clear. But Madrid, in the end, is worth Jeddah, Las Vegas, Miami, Baku, while there is scandalous thought of abandoning the great classic circuits, which no longer meet the lucrative standards of Liberty Media. The teams are silent, the drivers – who count less and less – as well, the FIA doesn't bat an eyelid. All prostrate to the god of money which has never been so abundant and generous with the world of grand prizes, for which rational thought at this point no longer counts. And no one wants to hear it.
#Madrid #citizen #loses #DNA
