Ifema makes a move in the multi-million dispute over Madrid F1

The dispute centres on the layout that will host the race. Dromo, the company that designed the original project, maintains that part of its documentation and methodology may subsequently have been used without its authorisation. Ifema, by contrast, argues that it paid what was agreed and that no new licence is needed for Tilke to work with those materials.

The intervention of the legal services of the Community of Madrid has become an important element for Ifema. Its report has been submitted to the German court examining whether copyright has been infringed in the development of the circuit, proceedings that for now affect Tilke in particular.

The German court has partially ruled in Dromo’s favour with precautionary measures in Germany to prevent the improper use of protected documentation. The Italian company, led by Jarno Zaffelli, is also preparing a multimillion-euro claim in Spain, where it insists that the case is not only about money, but about respect for the contracts signed.

Ifema maintains a different version. The Madrid venue says that the break with Dromo in September 2025 was caused by serious breaches and states that its claims have already been rejected twice by the Spanish courts. It also maintains that it has not received any formal lawsuit and that its legal position is strong.

The battle comes at a particularly sensitive time for Madrid. The Formula 1 circuit is not merely a sporting project: it will affect mobility, the area around Ifema, hotels, public transport and the city’s international image during race days.

For now, the organisation of the Grand Prix is moving forward. Stefano Domenicali, CEO of Formula 1, has stated that the race scheduled for September will take place as planned and that the work is progressing at a good pace, despite the legal noise surrounding the project.

For its part, Formula 1 is trying to calm concern about the calendar. Stefano Domenicali, CEO of the World Championship, has stated that the conflict between Dromo and Tilke will not affect the holding of the Madrid Grand Prix, scheduled for September at the Ifema circuit. While the legal battle over the use of technical documentation and design rights remains open, work on the layout continues and the FIA inspection has not, for now, put any brake on the project.

For people in Madrid, the case means that F1 is still under way, but with an uncomfortable underlying question: who holds the rights to the design of the circuit that will transform a key part of the north-east of the city for days. The answer will determine not only the future of the layout, but also the cost and legal certainty of one of the most ambitious events Madrid wants to attract.