F1 CEO sets Barcelona demands for new race after Madrid’s £427m Spanish GP deal

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Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has now told Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya chiefs what they will need to host a race now that Madrid has stolen the Spanish Grand Prix.

The IFEMA exhibition centre and F1 announced this Tuesday that a new 5.5km (3.4m) circuit near the Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suarez airport will take over the staging of the Spanish GP in 2026. F1 has also agreed a 10-year contract to stage the Spanish GP for its return to Madrid.

Madrid last staged an F1 race while the Spanish GP was held off-and-on at Jarama between 1968 to 1981. But the race has exclusively been at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya since 1991. Yet, despite it having a contract for 2026, the Montmelo track has an uncertain future.

Barcelona refuses to lose F1 after Madrid stole the Spanish GP

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will likely adopt a localised name to stage a race in 2026. It will most likely be the Barcelona, Catalan or European GP – like how the circuit hosts the Catalan GP in MotoGP. The motorcycle series also races in Jerez (Spanish GP) and Valencia.

But, according to Marca, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya refuses to fall off the Formula 1 calendar after 2026. It remains in talks with F1 CEO Domenicali about a new contract, giving Spain two races a year again as was the case with the European GP in Valencia (2008-2012­).

Domenicali is open-minded to Spain staging two Grand Prix a year again – despite the races being close together geographically. The Italian and Liberty Media, Formula 1’s owners, are also rubbing their hands at the idea as Madrid pays €500m (£427m) for its 10-year contract.

Domenicali wants around £30m a year to keep F1 in Catalunya

Madrid will pay no less than €50m (£42.7m) each season of its contract to stage the Spanish GP from 2026. So, Domenicali has told the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya that it has to offer at least €30-35m (£25.6-29.9m) over a minimum five-year contract for it to get a new race.

As staging the Formula 1 race is a capital issue for Barcelona and Catalunya, Marca adds that the local political and sporting parties are hard at work to secure its future on the Formula 1 calendar. The race is still one of the region’s most important international showcase events.

So, if the budget is available, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is willing to sign a new, five-year contract to keep F1 in the region, despite losing the Spanish GP to Madrid. President of the Generalitat, Pere Aragones, and circuit chief, Roger Torrent, do not find its name crucial.