Barcelona reportedly willing to pay massive sums to coexist with Madrid on the F1 calendar

Madrid would host the Spanish GP from 2026, ousting Circuit de Barcelona from the F1 calendar.

Barcelona reportedly willing to pay massive sums to coexist with Madrid on the F1 calendar

2022 Spanish GP, (image via F1)

The Spanish GP is synonymous with Circuit de Barcelona as the event has been held there since 1991. However, F1 recently confirmed that Madrid would host the Spanish GP from the 2026 season, with no exact details about Barcelona’s place on the calendar.

However, the Barcelona circuit’s authorities aren’t ready to give up on the race just yet. Barcelona wants to extend the contract at least till 2032 amidst the news of Madrid’s circuit preparations. According to Marca, the circuit is willing to pay up to $30-35 Million per season to keep hosting an F1 race. This could make the race one of the more expensive GPs in F1.

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Regardless, the race wouldn’t be termed the Spanish GP as Madrid would take that label. However, the race could be termed Catalunya, Europe, or Barcelona instead of the Spanish GP. But with growing concerns of 24 races in a season, an addition of another race is highly unlikely. However, Barcelona would have to coexist with Madrid on the calendar.

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Madrid’s circuit has put forth multiple benefits over Barcelona

The Madrid circuit would be newly built to host the Spanish GP from 2026. The track would offer a mix of street and circuit-styled racing to the drivers. This would be exciting for the drivers as well as the fans who would potentially be bored by a single type of racing during a weekend. The circuit would also stretch over 5.47km [3.39 miles] around the country’s capital. The track would feature 20 turns and an approximate lap time of 1 minute and 32 seconds for the drivers during an ideal session.

Spanish GP at the Madrid's circuit.
Spanish GP at the Madrid’s circuit (via thodiamedia.com).

Additionally, the destination for the circuit would be highly accessible for the fans during the race weekend. The circuit boasts a 90% fan travel using just public transportation to reduce emissions and traffic issues during the weekend. However, multiple people raise questions over the replacement of the traditional Barcelona circuit with the street circuit in Madrid.

A new racing destination is something the fans and drivers would enjoy. However, F1 also needs to stick to its roots when it comes to historic racing destinations. Hence, time will tell about the pros and cons of Madrid’s circuit for the Spanish GP from 2026.

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