In a few weeks, Formula 1 will return to Madrid, where the Spanish Grand Prix has been held since this year. A brand new semi-street circuit has been built in the capital. Expectations are high, but not everyone is eager to welcome Max Verstappen and company in Madrid. Residents near the new Madring circuit have been protesting against the arrival of Formula 1 for over a year.
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The activists of ‘Stop F1 Madrid’ have already organized several demonstrations against the upcoming Grand Prix. A recent article in El País, a daily newspaper from Madrid, spoke with the committee. The biggest issue is that the neighborhood where the new circuit is located was once presented as green and sustainable. According to the residents, the arrival of Formula 1 does not align with that promise. The expected noise pollution also causes great concern. The organization speaks of 95 decibels, comparable to ‘a chainsaw in a living room’.
Collecting evidence
Constantino Blanco, spokesperson for ‘Stop F1 Madrid’, pointed out that this noise level exceeds the legal limit for residential areas. “Inside a home, the noise level during the day must not exceed 35 decibels and at night not higher than 30 decibels. The neighborhood will suffer because a noisy neighborhood negatively affects health,” he noted. “We are against building a circuit in a residential area, this one or any other, because it is simply illegal.”
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The protest group’s goal is to collect evidence of the damage and noise pollution caused by the Spanish GP during the first race weekend, so they can present it in court. “Those responsible for the circuit will eventually pay the price,” Blanco assured. “As our lawyer says, there is not yet a crime because we have not yet provided the evidence,” added Inma Gallego, one of the residents, to the Spanish newspaper. “We find it terrible that a neighborhood without a health center, sports center, or high school first gets an F1 circuit.” The Spanish GP will be held on the weekend of September 12 and 13.
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