Damon Hill shares prediction for Barcelona GP’s future after 2026 Madrid race announcement

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Legendary driver Damon Hill has shared his thoughts on the future of the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona after the announcement of a new race in Madrid.

The part-street track, part-dedicated circuit on the streets of the Spanish capital will potentially give Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso a new home race going forward.

Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, Damon Hill has shared his thoughts on the future of the Circuit de Catalunya.

Before the days of limited pre-season testing, teams would flock to the chilly track in Catalunya’s capital to give the wider world a taste of what they could expect from the upcoming season.

It’s a track that is synonymous with giving drivers the best opportunity to show just how fast they and their cars are.

However, that has pros and cons, and as a result of the circuit being so good to drive, it’s produced plenty of boring races.

The facilities are beginning to look dated compared to some of the newest circuits on the calendar and the world of Formula 1 moves very quickly.

Damon Hill now believes that Barcelona could be in danger of moving their place on the schedule with the introduction of the race in Madrid.

F1 appears to be leaning towards introducing more street circuits that are easily accessible for fans.

The likes of Spa and Monza have to remain on the calendar for as long as possible, but it is almost a pilgrimage to reach either track if you want to see the action up close and personal.

Hill shares Barcelona GP verdict after Madrid announcement

Reacting to the news, Hill said: “This is a big of a change to our calendars that we’ve become used to potentially with the announcement of the Madrid race in 2026, so that’s not too far away.

“So, we’ve still got a couple more seasons of Barcelona, whether this means the end of Barcelona, Stefano Domenicali has intimated that the door is still open there and potentially there could be two races in Spain.

“But, in all honesty, I’d be surprised if that was to happen but we’ll know more in the future but it’s a big announcement to have a change or a new venue for Formula 1 especially in the heart of Europe.”

As Hill says, the writing might be on the wall for the future of the Barcelona Grand Prix after the announcement about the race in Madrid.

It would be a shame to see the race drop off the calendar, but it’s not a race that many fans look forward to too much each year.

However, recent improvements to the track have made it a more interesting Grand Prix.

Street races can typically make overtaking very difficult and Formula 1 doesn’t need another processional race.