A protest earlier this week at the Edinburgh roundabout, marks the start of a new phase in the neighborhood battle against The Madrid Grand Prix. The platform Stop F1 Madrid It is mobilized after the beginning of the elimination of trees to clear the area where, in September 2026, the engines of Formula 1 will roar for the first time in the Ifema enclosure.
A new F1 showcase. What began as a “future commitment” by Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida has become a war of wear between the City Council and the neighbors of neighborhoods such as Canillas, Las Cárcavas, Valdebebas and San Lorenzo. More than 142,000 residents within a radius of four kilometers will be affected by the implementation of the F1 circuit in the city, an event that promises to exceed the law of the 65 decibels as a noise limit. “The event will generate more than 95 decibels that we will suffer directly the neighbors of the neighborhood”, complaint Constantino Blanco, spokesman for the citizen platform.
More than noise. In addition to noise pollution, the works foresee The elimination of 729 treesof which 295 will not be able to transplant according to the environmental impact report to which we have been accessible. The cuts in the streets, the modifications of the urban layout and the fact of putting upside down all the mobility of Madrid for a decade are more than enough reasons for the neighbors to consider the arrival of this unsustainable event. “They are selling my health to earn money,” says Stop F1 Madrid representative.
The legal trick. To overcome the noise regulations, the City Council Plan suspend temporarily the noise law alleging “exceptionality”. The strategy is based on considering the Grand Prix as an “special public transcendence” event, a legal figure that allows us to exceed the usual limits for “duly justified general interest reasons.” However, the neighbors question if a private event with “at the exorbitant price” really meets these requirements.
Battles in court. Two judicial resources They already complicate the path of the circuit. In May, the Superior Court of Justice of Madrid admitted to process the complaint of the environmental platform against the Special Project Plan. Days later, more Madrid managed to study another demand for “serious deficiencies” in the approval process. Ricardo Ayala, a lawyer specialized in noise cases such as Santiago Bernabéu, commented to the environment Eldiario that “it is an absolute aberration and they barely have arguments that support it.”
A domino effect. The F1 case is not isolated. Madrid usually becomes a permanent amusement park, from macrofestivals to projects such as The largest noria in the world. Madrid pursues what is happening in cities such as Miami or Baku, where F1 have also used as a global tourist showcase. However, this also leads to a generalized complaint by neighbors who suffer the noise and consequences of this type of event. The most popular case is The Santiago Bernabéuthat since his new work and transformed into the palace of events of all kinds, beyond football, he has caused The complaint of many neighbors that live around the stadium.
What comes now. The project advances with A provisional license until 2026fragmenting the process to complicate legal actions. The courts have not yet decreed the precautionary suspension, but the specialized lawyers predict that the judicial consequences could reach when Formula 1 is either a reality. Meanwhile, the neighbors maintain the pressure: “It would not be here if I did not believe that we can get it,” says Blanco. The battle has just begun.
Cover image | Madrid City Council
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