In a decisive turn of events, Barcelona’s city council is gearing up to increase funding in a bid to save the Spanish Grand Prix, following the announcement of a new Formula 1 race in Madrid. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali revealed the ten-year deal for the Madrid GP starts in 2026, just as Barcelona’s existing contract at the Circuit de Catalunya is due to expire.
Domenicali, however, hasn’t closed the door on Barcelona. He spoke highly of Oriol Sagrera, the new boss of the Barcelona track, which has been F1’s Spanish home since 1991. “First of all, Oriol Sagrera is an incredible person,” Domenicali said. “We are working to look into the future and we will see. We will keep you updated. Two circuits in Spain on the same calendar? Why not?” he suggested.
While the Madrid race is entirely privately funded, Barcelona’s GP has relied on some institutional and government support. In response to Madrid’s F1 announcement, Barcelona’s city council confirmed its willingness to up its financial commitment. “We maintain our commitment to the Circuit de Catalunya and have made clear our political, institutional and economic support throughout the negotiations, even expressing our willingness to increase the current financial contribution to guarantee the competitiveness of the Montmelo facilities,” the council stated.
Funding for the Barcelona race has seen fluctuations, with contributions halving from the initial EUR 3 million per year in 2017. Meanwhile, the Generalitat de Catalonia and the Catalan department of business emphasized their strong relationship with F1, suggesting ample time remains to negotiate Barcelona’s future on the F1 calendar.
Spain’s sports minister, Pilar Alegria, also met with Domenicali post-announcement, expressing the government’s aim to host two grands prix in the country, drawing parallels to other nations like Italy, Germany, and the USA. Madrid mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida echoed a similar sentiment: “This is not a grand prix of Madrid against Catalonia or against Barcelona. What interests me is that Madrid has a grand prix, not that someone else stops having one,” he clarified on Antena 3.
Domenicali reinforced this view: “I remember the first meeting with (Ifema Madrid president) Jose Vicente and he said Madrid wanted to propose a contract complementary to what F1 does in Barcelona. The fact that we are in Madrid does not exclude that we can stay in Barcelona for the future.”
