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Formula 1 arrives at Puerta del Sol with a free night-time show
Formula 1 will come to the centre of Madrid before the single-seaters take to the track in Madring. From this Thursday 10th until Saturday 12th September, the façade of the Real Casa de Correos, at Puerta del Sol, will be transformed each night with a free videomapping show dedicated to the return of the Gran Premio de España to Madrid.
There will be four showings each night, every half hour between 22:00 and 23:30. The projection will use windows, balconies, columns and other elements of the façade as part of the animation to create the impression that the building is moving and ends up transformed into a unique starting grid.
The show will not begin directly with cars. The first part will take in some of the most recognisable places in the Comunidad de Madrid: the Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo, the arcades and balconies of the Plaza Mayor de Chinchón, and the Castillo de Manzanares el Real will appear.
Afterwards, red will gradually cover the façade until it forms the flag of the Comunidad with its seven stars. From there, the section dedicated to motorsport will begin, led by the message “Madrid is back” and accompanied by images of speed, overtaking, corners, pit stops, drivers and celebrations.
The choice of Puerta del Sol thus connects two very different parts of the city during Gran Premio week. While the races will take place from 11th to 13th September in Madring, the new circuit located next to IFEMA y Valdebebas, the celebration will also have a night-time presence almost ten kilometres away, right in the centre.
The Gran Premio marks the return of Formula 1 to the Madrid area after 45 years. The last points-scoring race was held on 21st June 1981 at the Jarama circuit and ended with victory for Gilles Villeneuve. This time, the championship debuts on a completely new track, Madring, 5.4 kilometres long with 22 corners.
The Real Casa de Correos will also host F1-related activities during the day. This Wednesday, the Madring Tech Summit kicks off there, and on Thursday and Friday mornings there will be free access to driving simulators, a model of the circuit, team helmets and overalls, and artificial intelligence tools related to motorsport.
To see just the videomapping, there’s no need to wait for the weekend: the first showing will be this Thursday 10th from 22:00. The show will be repeated on Friday and Saturday, but not on the Sunday of the race.