It is 8:30 in the morning and a light rain is falling on the Jarama Circuit. Those who already know the area expect a less than peaceful day. The Madrid circuit seems to have one of those microclimates that is governed by its own laws. There is no AEMET or weatherman to anticipate what is about to happen in the 3,850 meters through which the circuit extends. Here, you either freeze or cook, there is no middle ground.
Perhaps that is why we have been able to park with complete peace of mind.
Problems expected on Friday. Full house at the Jarama Circuit to see the first Formula E race in Spain in its entire history. 30,000 people packed into a circuit from the 60s that has barely been able to grow in width, constrained by the urbanizations that grew almost at the same time as the fame of Madrid’s asphalt.
On Friday we had taken a first walk through the paddock thanks to the invitation of the DS Penske team. The company announced there that will leave Formula E next yearafter supporting the competition in its first twelve years of life in which it has added four championships (two for the team and two for drivers in the 2018-19 and 2019-2020 seasons), 18 victories and 55 podiums. It remains to be seen if in the remainder of the year they can scratch any more records before make way for Opel, the company that will take its place.
DS will set sail. Specifically to Rolex SailGP Championship where they will take part by associating with the SailGP Team France, the team with which they will share knowledge to take an unprecedented step in their competitive vocation.
Nothing indicated, at the moment, that DS Penske or any other team in the championship would have to take the lifeboats to the track but the weather, as we say, was not pleasant. Perhaps that is why the stands took time to fill on a historic day for the circuit.
A new life for the Jarama Circuit
The Jarama Circuit is a peculiar space. The route was born in 1967 when the land was nothing more than a wasteland still far from Madrid. But almost immediately Ciudalcampo began to be built next to it, an exclusive urbanization in which millionaire villas are collected.
For decades, there have been neighbors who have had an open war against the circuit. Between 1968 and 1981, Formula 1 was a regular feature on the Madrid track. The motorcycle championships also met on a circuit that has become too small to safely host these competitions.
Without major championships, the circuit has been seeking its survival in other types of events. Is the home of the Royal Automobile Club of Spain (RACE) and it has stayed alive by carrying out some federation competitions of greater or lesser significance such as some stages of the Spanish Rally Championship and some of great tradition such as the Spanish Grand Prix of the European Truck Championship.
During this time, the neighbors have been denouncing that the noise generated by competitions far exceeds that allowed for rest. But they emphasize that since the pandemic, events that generate noise have multiplied from early in the morning to late in the afternoon, such as drift events or rallies and private events of car brands. The prosecutor’s office, for now, has already agreed with the neighbors Therefore, the activities on the circuit are more committed than ever in recent years.
Formula E is not another headache for them. This time less noisy but with all the inconveniences of having a circuit with capacity for tens of thousands of people within an urbanization without a good connection by public transport. The three hours it took us to leave the circuit at the end of the day attest to this, forced to leave the parking lots along a single street full of roundabouts without the capacity to absorb so much traffic.
Upon arrival, however, we realized that noise would not be a problem.
Not, at least, the one about cars.
“But they do look like my Scalextric cars“They sound the same,” I heard next to me when we passed under the tunnel that separates the outer area of the circuit from the paddock, in the inner ring. And, certainly, the sound of these electric cars is very similar to what modeling fans find.
Free Practice 1 had started, a difficult time to get out onto the track. Unlike Formula 1, Formula E cars do not have specific rain tires. The tires here have tread so they can perform enough in the rain to stay on the track but, yes, they do not offer as good results as the slicks when the asphalt is dry.
The DS Penske team working on the car
Added to this is a true truism: cars are electric. And it seems like bullshit but that says a lot about his behavior and how fine you have to be with your hands. These cars are the third generation in the history of the championship. Next year they will be more powerful and their regenerative braking will be even greater.
All in all, right now they are cars that you have to be very careful with on dry asphalt. Very little developed aerodynamics, tires, as we say, that are not specific and a mechanics of up to 400 kW (536 HP) with a minimum weight of 863 kg including the driver. With acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in less than two seconds and instant torque, the crossovers at each corner exit delighted a crowd that filled the stands and the pelouse of the circuit.
From the terrace of the main straight, we could already see the enormous traffic jam that was forming to enter the circuit on the neighboring A-1. By the time qualifying started at 10:40, there were still many people left to enter. Of course, the rest were already enjoying the first Formula E race on a circuit proper.
The championship organizers are at a crucial moment. Formula E has grown hand in hand with urban circuits. Events in London, Monaco or Tokyo have already become iconic images of this sport, but next year the single-seaters jump to a new generation. We will have cars capable of developing 600 kW (805 HP). That is straining the limits of the championship.
Asked why Madrid is the first race in the championship that does not have an urban circuit, Alberto Longo, co-founder of Formula E, explained to us that it is increasingly difficult for them to find spaces where they can race safely. The cars are faster, they need more space and problems with neighbors have to be managed even though, he assures, they are capable of disassembling and disassembling everything in a week.
This time, there were no words about the inconvenience for the residents of the Jarama Circuit but Longo hints that Jarama will not be the last permanent circuit in which Formula E races. “I wouldn’t wish it on anyone,” he told us about organizing a race in the center of any city. What is certain is that Formula E’s intention is to return to Spain in the coming years. If it is in Madrid, Jarama will be essential for this. “We want to increase the audience next year, check if we can get more people in. Little by little,” said Longo.
A turning point
Formula E is at a crucial moment. Formula 1 has grown in viewers on television but has distanced itself from the most faithful. The commitment to electricity, with enormous weight in today’s cars, has caused widespread disenchantment. Both championships are closer than ever.
Formula 1 has moved towards electricity, with the premise of being more efficient and ecological than ever. He is looking for new urban locations around the world. Madrid, in fact, will be one of them this year… if the works arrive on time.
Formula E was already there when Formula 1 arrived. The championship is fun, the urban layouts allow you to see the cars very close but you will need to move to permanent circuits as soon as the cars continue to gain power. The Jarama Circuit is an ideal track to see action on the track. The layout is beautiful, the public is very close to the asphalt. And the tickets are “cheap”, a big part of the success of the competition.
In fact, that’s how my colleagues with whom we inevitably shared a traffic jam at the exit of the circuit made it seem to me. Forced by an infrastructure that is choking on an event of this size, we talked for hours about the future and present of both competitions.
There we were from Madrid, the Canaries and even the French talking about what happened. Everyone recognized how fun a Formula E race is, with constant position changes on circuits where Formula 1 cars get stuck when overtaking. Or they become a purely artificial thing like this year.
But, above all, they referred to the tickets. This year, going to the star curve in the Madring will cost more than 500 euros per person. In Formula E, for that price, an entire family had come to the Madrid circuit. There was talk of Spa, Monza, Montmeló… all legendary circuits established in the competition that offered much cheaper tickets than Madrid.
It is not surprising that, throughout the morning, the stands will be packed. Walking around the paddock and pitlane became a more and more complicated task. In addition to the most complete (and expensive) tickets, there was an almost endless court of guests and celebrities. From the authorities with King Felipe VI at the helm, to the most unexpected soccer player, to Formula 1 legends such as Rubens Barrichello or Juan Pablo Montoya.
In a short time, the paddock had become abuzz. The crucial hour was approaching and 600 accredited media were rushing between press conferences with representatives of the brand, trying to get through the endless lines to get something to eat or those waiting to play their game on an improvised paddle tennis court. The stands were packed, the pelouse, a tide of heads in the distance.
So we arrived at 3:00 p.m. With the asphalt dry and the public dedicated. Start with a roar in the stands in the first turns. Pepe Martithe only Spanish driver in the race, left cars behind him at a frenetic pace until reaching first place. The recharging dance, a 600 kW shot in the pits, put the Jaguars back in front, tempering the race, subsiding the Spanish revolt and calming the stands.
This is how the end was reached, with victory for Antonio Felix da Costa, followed by Mitch Evans. The Jaguar TCS Racing men were followed by Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein.
Point and end to the race.
Little drama on the way out.
En masse, fans collected in record time. Walking on the way to the parking lot after just 10 minutes was more like letting yourself be carried away by a human tide. Everyone looking for their car. On the track the drivers had already fought for position, it was the spectators’ turn.
It was then that the seams of a circuit with 60 years behind it were seen. There were those who waited more than two and a half hours to be able to leave the circuit. A few dirt roads that lead to the streets of a quiet urbanization north of Madrid.
Quiet, as long as there is no event in Jarama, of course. This time the neighbors had to deal with the inconveniences of an event broadcast to the entire world.
At least, for once, they didn’t deal with the sound of cars.
Photos | Xataka
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