Jarama's layout is compact and technical, featuring a short main straight and a series of tight, twisty corners. This design made overtaking extremely difficult, rewarding handling, braking precision, and driver consistency over outright speed. The circuit has a length of 3.850 km (2.392 mi) as of 1990.
Jarama hosted the Spanish Grand Prix nine times between 1968 and 1981: 1968, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, and 1981. During the 1970s, the Spanish Grand Prix alternated between Jarama and Montjuïc Park until the Barcelona street circuit was abandoned after the 1975 accident. The circuit also hosted the Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix 15 times between 1969 and 1988.
The most memorable Formula One race at Jarama was the 1981 Spanish Grand Prix, won by Gilles Villeneuve. Villeneuve defended his lead for the entire race against a group of faster cars, including Jacques Laffite (Ligier-Matra), John Watson (McLaren-Ford), Carlos Reutemann (Williams-Ford), and Elio de Angelis (Lotus-Ford). Villeneuve's turbocharged Ferrari 126CK was powerful on the straight but lacked the efficient ground effect aerodynamics of his pursuers. This victory was the final Formula One win of Villeneuve's career.
Formula One's last race at Jarama took place in 1981. By the early 1980s, the circuit was deemed too narrow for modern Formula One cars, making overtaking difficult and raising safety concerns. The Spanish Grand Prix eventually found a permanent home at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya starting in 1991.
In 1987, Jarama hosted Round 2 of the inaugural World Touring Car Championship, the Jarama 4 Hours. The race was won by Roberto Ravaglia and Emanuele Pirro in a Schnitzer Motorsport BMW M3. Klaus Ludwig took pole position in a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth turbo with a time of 1:31.434, while Andy Rouse recorded the fastest lap in a Sierra Cosworth with a time of 1:33.710.
The circuit was extended in 1990, increasing the length of the main straight and adding a new section from Ascari to Portago. The pit lane was also extended, and new garage facilities were added. The track was fully resurfaced in August 2018 as part of a refurbishment program. In 2015, the final turn was renamed Curva María de Villota in honor of the Madrid native driver María de Villota.
In February 2022, the circuit officially changed its name to Circuito de Madrid Jarama - RACE, reflecting its ownership by the Royal Automobile Club of Spain (RACE). While it no longer hosts Formula One, Jarama remains an active motorsport venue. It is primarily used for domestic racing events, historic motorsport events, touring car, and endurance racing. Major international events include the FIA European Truck Racing Championship.
Looking ahead, the circuit is set to host the Formula E Madrid ePrix beginning in 2026.
The fastest Formula One race lap on the original Grand Prix layout (1966-79) is 1:16.440, set by Gilles Villeneuve in a Ferrari 312T4 during the 1979 Spanish Grand Prix. This remains the official Formula One lap record for that configuration. On the Grand Prix Circuit of 1980–1990, the F1 race lap record of 1:15.467 belongs to Alan Jones, driving a Williams FW07B in 1980.
This article is based solely on the supplied corpus. No external sources were consulted; claims that could not be substantiated against the corpus were omitted under the drop-the-claim rule.
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