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

The dispute revolves around the layout that will host the race. Dromo, the company that designed the original project, claims that part of its documentation and methodology may have been used later without its authorisation. Ifema, on the other hand, 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 Comunidad de Madrid has become an important factor for Ifema. Their report has been submitted to the German court examining whether copyright has been infringed in the development of the circuit, a process that for now especially affects Tilke.

The German court has partially sided with Dromo, issuing precautionary measures in Germany to prevent the improper use of protected documentation. The Italian company, led by Jarno Zaffelli, is also preparing a multi-million euro claim in Spain, where it insists the case is not just about money, but about respect for signed contracts.

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

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

For now, the organisation of the Gran Premio continues. Stefano Domenicali, CEO of Formula 1, has said that the race scheduled for September will go ahead as planned and that work is progressing well, despite the legal noise surrounding the project.

Meanwhile, Formula 1 is trying to cool concerns about the calendar. Stefano Domenicali, CEO del Mundial, has assured that the conflict between Dromo and Tilke will not affect the Gran Premio de Madrid, scheduled for September at the Ifema circuit. While the legal battle continues over the use of technical documentation and design rights, work on the layout continues and the FIA inspection has not, for now, caused any halt to the project.

For Madrid residents, the case means F1 is still on track, but with an uncomfortable underlying question: who has the rights to the circuit design that will transform for several days a key part of the city’s northeast. The answer will not only determine the future of the layout, but also the cost and legal certainty of one of the most ambitious events Madrid hopes to attract.