Barcelona’s Formula 1 future remains as uncertain as ever, even with the looming prospect of Madrid taking over as the host city for the official Spanish Grand Prix after 2026. Oriol Sagrera, the newly appointed CEO of the Circuit de Catalunya, which has been the home of the Spanish GP since the early 1990s, recently affirmed that a deal to continue hosting the Grand Prix is “just as close” as it was a few months ago.
In a discussion with Spanish media, Sagrera highlighted that there is still significant work to be done to iron out the renewal’s specifics. “We still have a lot of room to finalise the details of the renewal,” he noted, suggesting that negotiations are ongoing but not yet conclusive.
The Circuit de Catalunya has also announced a partnership with Fira de Barcelona, the city’s leading trade fair institution. This collaboration has led to the creation of Fira Circuit, a new entity that will manage the track’s activities for the next two decades.
Constanti Serrallonga, the head of Fira de Barcelona, addressed concerns that the new arrangement might hinge solely on the Formula 1 negotiations with Liberty Media. He dispelled these fears by clarifying the broader ambitions of the partnership. “Not at all,” he stated firmly. “The scenario is that Fira can contribute to improving the activity of the circuit beyond Formula 1, and this makes sense in any scenario.”
Serrallonga further emphasized the long-term nature of their agreement, which is set to last 20 years, regardless of Formula 1’s presence. “The agreement is for 20 years, regardless of whether the future is with or without F1, although we hope to have F1 for many years,” he explained, underscoring their commitment to the circuit’s success irrespective of the outcome of the F1 negotiations.
GMM
