King Juan Carlos I, a great motorsport fan, enjoyed the first race of the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship this Saturday at the Sakhir circuit, in Bahrain. On Friday, accompanied by his grandson, Felipe de Marichalar, he was already in the qualifying tests in which the Spaniards Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) earned fourth and sixth place respectively, while the Dutchman Max Emilian Verstappenn (Red Bull) starts from pole position.
The King’s father was a regular at Formula 1 races at the Circuit de Catalunya, in Montmeló, and after his self-imposed exile in Abu Dhabi, he has attended almost all the grand prix that have taken place in the different countries of the Persian Gulf. Last Friday, together with Froilán de Marichalar, who like him lives in the capital of the emirates, King Juan Carlos traveled by private plane to Bahrain where, late at night, he received the news of the death, in Madrid, of his nephew. Fernando Gómez-Acebo.
King Juan Carlos returned to Abu Dhabi last Wednesday from London, after having attended the mass in memory of the late King Constantine in Windsor, where he met with Kings Felipe and Letizia, Queen Sofia and Infantas Elena and Cristina. The week of March 11 to 17, he plans to travel to Sanxenxo (Pontevedra) to attend the first regattas of the Spanish 6M Championship, but it is not ruled out that he will advance his trip to be present at the funeral for his nephew Fernando, the youngest. of the children of Infanta Pilar and Luis Gómez-cebo, both already deceased.
Upon arrival at the Sakhir circuit, he walked through the paddock, (first in an electric cart and also walking supported by his head of security), with Carlos Saínz, father of the F1 driver and last winner of the Paris-Dakar, as well as Pedro de la Rosa and Marc Gené, ambassadors of Ferrari and Aston Martin, respectively, with whom he continued training.
The Bahrain Grand Prix opens this 2024 F1 World Championship, which consists of 24 races, the last of which will be held in Abu Dhabi, where King Juan Carlos resides, next December. The races are always held on a Sunday but, in this case, the one in Bahrain has been brought forward to Saturday, since the next test, which is held in Saudi Arabia next weekend, will also be on a Saturday so as not to coincide with the Ramadan that this year begins on Sunday, March 10 for the Muslim world.
