BARCA’S REIGN IN SPAIN ISN’T OVER YET
Rumours of the Spanish Grand Prix moving from Barcelona to Madrid had circulated for most of 2023. Now it’s official: the new circuit, which features both street and non-street sections, will be built around the IFEMA exhibition and conference centre to the north-east of the city and will host Spain’s eponymous F1 race from 2026.
The move of the Spanish Grand Prix to the capital, however, doesn’t necessarily mean Barcelona will disappear from the F1 calendar. The owners of the circuit, a permanent calendar fixture since 1991, are planning a €50 million reconstruction and hope this will lead to a new agreement with F1 – using a different event name.
Barcelona GP, Catalan GP or European GP have already been mentioned as possible options. Previously, F1 races were held at the Jerez and Valencia circuits under the European Grand Prix moniker.
Championship boss Stefano Domenicali emphasised he was not ruling out the possibility of F1 holding two races a year in Spain again.
“There are discussions in place to see if we can really extend our collaboration with Barcelona, with whom we have a very good relationship, for the future,” he said. “Spain was a market that just a couple of years ago was not in the centre of our eyes. Now it is very important.”
Madrid – more specifically the autonomous community of that name – previously hosted F1 nine times between 1968 and 1981 at the Jarama circuit, 20 miles outside the capital. The contract with the new Madrid venue will run for 10 years, through 2035.
It was also announced agreements with race organisers in Japan and Britain, set to expire this year, have been extended. The new deal with Suzuka runs until 2029. Circuit owner Honda confirmed last year that it would remain in F1 as an engine supplier through an agreement with Aston Martin, so a Japanese GP contract extension was widely expected.
The Silverstone race organisers have signed a 10-year deal, guaranteeing the race a place on the F1 calendar until at least 2034. Other events with long-term deals include Austria and Saudi Arabia (both until 2030), Canada (2031), Hungary and Qatar (2032), Abu Dhabi (2035), Bahrain (2036), and Australia (2037).