Madrid's entry into the Formula 1 calendar from 2026 confirms a well-established trend: the F1 World Championship is increasingly moving towards city circuits, at the expense of permanent tracks. This choice has its roots in the history of the category, but has accelerated significantly over the last decade.
In recent years, city tracks such as Baku, Jeddah, and Las Vegas have been added to the calendar, alongside tried and tested models such as Singapore, which was introduced during the Ecclestone era. In many cases, city races have proved to be effective tools for expanding the global market for the top formula, thanks to already developed urban contexts and significant investments by local governments and promoters.
However, there have also been some failed or scaled-back projects, such as Hanoi or the original idea of a true street circuit in Miami, which was later transformed into a semi-permanent track. Alongside these examples, there are a few exceptions, such as the return of Imola and Zandvoort or Qatar's decision to focus on a permanent track.
With Liberty Media, the 'destination cities' strategy has become central, aiming to bring Formula 1 to major cities to increase visibility, revenue, and public engagement. This model offers clear advantages, but it also raises questions about the future of historic circuits. In the case of motorcycle racing, which is also now in the hands of Liberty Media but currently still managed by Dorna, doubts about the spectacle are compounded by those about safety.
Motorcycle racing, in fact, has taken a completely opposite path to that of F1, by gradually abandoning city tracks: the Tourist Trophy, the road race par excellence, was abandoned in 1977 and replaced by Silverstone. The last GP at Imatra was held in 1981 and won by Marco Lucchinelli. Do you remember it? It passed over the tracks of a level crossing! At Brno it was a road course. At Spa-Francorchamps, where F1 still races, motorcycles raced until 1990, with Wayne Rainey winning the last race there before it was abandoned. But other permanent tracks such as the Nurburgring and Monza itself have fallen victim to safety concerns.
For a year now, however, there has been talk - coinciding with the arrival of Liberty Media - of a return to city tracks for motorcycles as well, for the same reason: spectacle.
In reality, the spectacle doesn't depend on the circuit, but on the fact that it is located in an urban context. And as Formula E has demonstrated (but is now backtracking on), bringing the show to where the people already are, instead of forcing them to travel to less urbanized areas, is a winning strategy.
To understand whether this 'return to the origins' is possible, we spoke with Franco Uncini, who was not only the 500cc world champion in 1982 and, at the end of his career, head of safety for the FIM, but who also raced on those dangerous tracks.
"I left the role of FIM Safety Officer in 2022," recalls Uncini. "We did a great job, but I left a legacy that is progressing and they are continuing to make it just as important. I left this task to people capable of carrying on something that had already started and that works."
Yet, correct us if we're wrong, you're not totally opposed to street circuits.
"It is possible to return to city circuits, obviously with the necessary precautions," observed the native of Recanati. "During the Monaco Grand Prix, I often fantasized about the possibility of seeing a motorcycle race there, but frankly, it's impossible. Years ago, however, we went to visit the Abu Dhabi circuit because even then Dorna wanted to organize a Grand Prix there. During the inspection, which was attended by Carmelo Espeleta, myself, and four riders from the Safety Commission, we found a solution that was possible."
What were the insurmountable difficulties?
"At that time, the FIA was on one side and the FIM on the other. Even though I worked hard to bring the two federations closer together, the world of cars was simply not willing to make certain concessions to motorcycles. Today, it has become easier to organize certain things because the owner of Formula 1 and MotoGP is the same."
Are we talking about walls?
"But you know, walls are a problem, like guardrails, when there are no run-off areas, but these can be created if the layout allows it. The walls on the straights, on the other hand, are not a problem. If you think about it, no one has ever talked about moving the pit wall 30 meters! And experience has taught us that in the event of an accident, kinetic energy pushes the vehicle in a straight line and the angle of impact is very low. There have been accidents in the past at Mugello, with Nakano, when his tyre burst, and with Pirro and Marquez that prove it. Not to mention a similar accident involving Loris Baz at Sepang in 2016."
So should we expect MotoGP in the city sooner or later?
"Yes. As I said at the time, there were issues related to FIA permits and investments. For Abu Dhabi, investments have never been a big problem, but the relationship with the FIA today makes everything more feasible. So the possibility exists, not for all circuits, but for some yes: organizing a Grand Prix on a city circuit could be possible. The issue of safety remains fundamental, and Carmelo Ezpeleta also spoke about it recently: I am convinced that this will always remain the first priority."
Perhaps Abu Dhabi will be the first.
"It would be spectacular to see MotoGP in such a setting, but Abu Dhabi would need adequate run-off areas. At the time, the FIA didn't agree to modify the run-off areas, even partially: we weren't asking for everything to be gravel, but one-third asphalt and two-thirds gravel. It wasn't possible then, but why not today?"