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Forbes
27-04-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
F1's New Playground: Madring Circuit Officially Unveiled
Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz during the presentation of the Formula 1 Madring circuit at IFEMA ... More Madrid. Formula 1's Spanish heartbeat has pulsed through the asphalt of Barcelona-Catalunya for decades. But in 2026, the rhythm will shift. Engines will tear through the streets of Madrid for a brand-new event: the Madrid Grand Prix, set to light up the calendar for the next ten years. On Friday, the curtain was pulled back on Madring. A fitting ambassador, Madrilenian Carlos Sainz, was also introduced in a formal ceremony attended by local politicians José Luis Martínez Almeida and Isabel Díaz Ayuso. At 5.47 kilometres long with 22 corners, the new venue will attempt to balance street circuit with Madrid's grand architecture and history. Organisers have confirmed the inaugural 2026 race will be fought over 57 laps, with early designs promising speed and precision. Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz The Madring will open with a 589-metre straight which is the second-longest on the layout, before a furious braking zone into a chicane at Turns 1 and 2. It's here, dropping from 320 km/h to just 100 km/h, that the first hints of racing chaos could brew. The aim is for real overtakes without the DRS-assisted fly-bys. Turn 3, dubbed Curva de Hortaleza, plants the race firmly in Madrid's heart, weaving through Ribera de Sena Street, where the city's vibrancy will blur at the edges of the speeding cars. Turn 5 and Turn 6, squeezed under a motorway overpass, are flagged as the prime overtaking zone, a public road which will be framed by concrete, expecting speeds to reach up to 340km/h. It's here that Madrid attempts to marry history and architecture with F1's mechanical aggression. Subida de las Carcavas offers an 8% gradient climb, before Turn 7's blind summit reveals 'El Bunker,' which is a sharp right-hander adjacent to relics of the Spanish Civil War. From there, the track transitions onto a purpose-built section near the Valdebebas festival grounds. If Madring hopes to etch itself into F1 folklore, it will live or die by La Monumental. This ferocious, steep-banked corner possesses a wild 24% gradient, a nod to Spain's bullfighting heritage. At 300 km/h, with grandstands looming to fit 45,000 fans, La Monumental could become a scene-stealer. But... let's be real. We've heard that song before. Saudi Arabia's Jeddah, Miami's Hard Rock Stadium — flashy blueprints, dramatic soundbites, and yet few have truly captured the soul of old-school circuits. La Monumental might be the exception, or it might just be another CGI promise too big to deliver. Beyond the banking, the circuit keeps up a brutal rhythm. Turn 13 slows to an 84-degree crawl before throwing drivers into the 'Las Enlazadas de Valdebebas.' It's a track that wants to have it all: a little Monaco, a little Monza, a little Zandvoort... a risky cocktail if balance isn't struck. The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, the mayor of Madrid, Jose Luis Martinez ... More Almeida, and Formula 1 driver, Carlos Sainz, during the presentation of the Formula 1 Madring circuit at IFEMA Madrid. With construction officially kicking off next month, Spanish firm ACCIONA and France's Eiffage Construction have been entrusted to make this ambitious vision a reality. After months of whispers over a slow tender process, the partnership was signed, sealed, and delivered just in time to keep timelines on track. Interestingly, Madrid's 2026 debut won't immediately kick Barcelona off the calendar. For one year, Spain will have two Grand Prix, a temporary luxury that feels more like a gentle goodbye to the Catalunya circuit than a full-scale takeover. Madring is a love letter to Madrid. It has history, soul and most importantly, ambition. But circuits aren't remembered because of launch parties or fancy names. They're remembered for the moments they host. Madring has its canvas. Come 2026, it'll be time to see if it can paint something truly worthy of Formula 1's sacred story or if it'll just be another gleaming castle built on sand.
Local Spain
19-02-2025
- Business
- Local Spain
How self-employed workers in Madrid can pay no social security taxes
Back in 2023, Madrid introduced the zero social security fee offer for autónomos, which meant that newly self-employed people could have their social security fees paid for by the regional government during their first year. It was also available in 2024 to those whose monthly earnings were below minimum wage. The idea is to promote self-employed work and encourage entrepreneurship, which Spain isn't famed for in general. In Madrid these incentives include: Financial aid available for self-employed workers who return to work. Reductions in social security fees for those starting a self-employed activity. Financial aid for caring for a minor affected by cancer or another serious illness. Spain has a flat social security fee for new autónomos of €80 per month in 2025 but after two years it goes from €225 per month for the lowest earners up to €530 per month for the highest earners, hence why Madrid's offering of covering such costs can really help self-employed workers in the Spanish capital. The period in which to request the zero social security fee for 2025 is now open and is available to certain people, if they meet a series of requirements and are self-employed. These are: You must be covered by the 'Incentives and measures to encourage and promote self-employment' scheme, included in the Self-Employment Statute. This means being one of the following: Be a beneficiary of the reduced social security fee, starting from the date of registration for the following twelve full calendar months. Based on your annual net income, have benefitted from the reduced social security fee during the next twelve full calendar months. Those who have a degree of disability equal to or greater than 33 percent, or are victims of gender violence or victims of terrorism, who have had the reduced quota for twenty-four full calendar months. Those with a degree of disability equal to or greater than 33 percent, or are victims of gender violence or victims of terrorism who, as a result of their annual net income, have enjoyed the reduced quota during the following thirty-six full calendar months. Those who have ceased their self-employment activity due to the birth of a child, adoption, custody for the purposes of adoption, foster care and guardianship and return to carry out a self-employed activity within the following two years. Those who are beneficiaries of the aid for the care of minors affected by cancer or another serious illness. You must also be up to date with the tax obligations with the State Administration, Community of Madrid, and with Social Security. And you must be registered as living and working in the region of Madrid. How can I apply? To request the zero social security fee and get your social security payments covered, you need to apply via Digital Administration Portal of the Community of Madrid here. You will need a digital certificate or Cl@ve to do this and enter into the Electronic Notification System of the Community of Madrid. This is where you can submit your supporting documents such as NIE, receipt of benefits, certificate of being signed up in the RETA system of autónomo or self-employment, medical reports or disability certificates and tax returns. When can I apply? Applications are open now, but it must be a maximum period of three months following the end of each 12-month period of receiving the reduction or bonus. Or within three months following the end of the application of the bonus, in the case of self-employed workers who are beneficiaries of the aid for the care of minors affected by cancer or another serious illness, in which the benefit during any period has been less than 12 months.
