A Madrid court this Wednesday denied the precautionary measures requested by the Association for the Defense of the Environment and for Sustainable Urbanism to suspend the license for the Formula 1 Grand Prix to be held from September 11 to 13 at the Madring circuit in the capital. The precautionary measures included the halt of the installation of grandstands, walkways, and hospitality areas. The court considered that the adoption of these measures would cause “a serious disturbance of general interests,” by preventing the celebration of the event and the attendance of “a large number of motorsport enthusiasts.”
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According to a statement from the City Council, the Contentious-Administrative Section of the Madrid Plaza Court of Instance number 18 has thus rejected the request for precautionary suspension while the judicial procedure on the merits of the case is resolved. The resolution therefore allows the actions related to the installation of the necessary structures for the Grand Prix to continue, while the judicial procedure continues to be processed.
The court’s decision comes at a time of high tension with residents of the Hortaleza district. After the F3 tests carried out on Monday and Tuesday at the Madring circuit, in Ifema, the Stop Formula 1 Madrid platform warned of the noise caused by the single-seaters, which reached peaks of up to 107.7 decibels, about three times the 35 decibels allowed by regulations in the capital. “These are non-approved measurements because we will carry out the approved ones on the 11th, 12th, and 13th. With those approved data, we will file the lawsuits,” Constantino Blanco, spokesperson for the platform, anticipates to EL PAÍS.
The delegate for Urban Planning, Mobility, and Environment of the Madrid City Council, Borja Carabante, has assured that the Madring circuit will have acoustic screens, natural barriers, and other corrective measures to reduce the disturbances caused by noise during the F1 Grand Prix. Previously, the delegate had explained that the F3 single-seaters that ran on the circuit on Monday and Tuesday make more noise than F1 cars, thus attempting to calm concerns ahead of the September event. Carabante has assured that the necessary measures will be established to mitigate the noise produced during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend. “On the 13th, there will be less noise for residents than what was produced during the tests. There is no doubt about that,” he stated.
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However, what the delegate said has not convinced Blanco. “F1 makes less noise, but 20 cars make more noise than four. That day there will be an F1 race, an F2 race, and also an F3 race. It’s a lie that there will be less noise that day,” responds the spokesperson for the Stop Formula 1 Madrid platform. The program for the Spanish Grand Prix, published on the event’s website, makes clear the intensity of the three days of competition: practice sessions, qualifying rounds, and three races for September 13. Neighborhood associations have also denounced the impact of the circuit’s construction works, with “mudslides” during the rainy season, “dust storms,” and road closures.
The Madrid City Council will present next week the special mobility plan designed for the Grand Prix. The plan, as explained by Carabante, will seek to reduce the impact of traffic cuts that will be applied during the event week and facilitate the arrival of spectators at the circuit. The delegate has defended the celebration of Formula 1 as an event of “extraordinary scale and importance” that will place Madrid “at the epicenter of major sporting events.”
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