News
Formula 1 arrives at Puerta del Sol with a free nighttime show
Formula 1 will reach central Madrid before the single-seaters take to the track at Madring. From Thursday 10 to Saturday 12 September, the façade of the Real Casa de Correos in Puerta del Sol will be transformed each night by a free videomapping show dedicated to the return of the Spanish Grand Prix to Madrid.
There will be four performances each day, 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 sensation that the building moves and ends up transformed into a particular starting grid.
The show will not begin directly with cars. The first part will tour some of the most recognisable places in the Comunidad de Madrid: the Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial, the arcades and balconies of Plaza Mayor de Chinchón, and Castillo de Manzanares el Real will appear.
Then red will take over the façade until it forms the Community's flag with its seven stars. From there, the motorsport section will arrive, led by the message “Madrid is back” and accompanied by images of speed, overtaking, bends, pits, drivers and celebrations.
The choice of Puerta del Sol thus connects two very different points in the city during Gran Premio week. While the races will be held from 11 to 13 September at Madring, the new circuit located next to IFEMA and Valdebebas, the celebration will also have a nighttime presence almost ten kilometres away, in the very centre.
The Gran Premio marks Formula 1's return to the Madrid area 45 years later. The last points-scoring race was held on 21 June 1981 at the Jarama circuit and ended with Gilles Villeneuve's victory. This time, the championship debuts on a completely new 5.4-kilometre, 22-corner circuit, Madring.
Real Casa de Correos will also have F1-related activity during the day. This Wednesday, Madring Tech Summit begins there, and on Thursday and Friday morning there will be free access to driving simulators, a circuit model, team helmets and race suits, and artificial-intelligence tools related to motorsport.
To see only the videomapping, there is no need to wait until the weekend: the first performance will be this Thursday the 10th from 22:00. The show will be repeated on Friday and Saturday, but not on race Sunday.