Fans attending the annual Spanish GP should temper their expectations regarding any forthcoming announcements about Barcelona’s future status in the Formula 1 calendar during this month’s event.
Fans attending the annual Spanish GP should temper their expectations regarding any forthcoming announcements about Barcelona’s future status in the Formula 1 calendar during this month’s event.
With Madrid poised to assume the title of Spanish GP host from 2026, questions continue to hover over Barcelona’s ability to secure a comparable contract.
Circuit de Catalunya patrons can at least find solace in the ongoing extensive renovations at the track, which have been mandated by Formula 1 to maintain the event’s standards.
“I think we all know what Liberty Media is asking for and what F1 is asking for in order to keep the (Barcelona) grand prix,” Oriol Sagrera, the new CEO of Circuit de Catalunya, remarked.
“So it doesn’t have so much to do with the fact that there would be two grands prix in the same country, but rather with what the proposal is from the promoter.
“And we have equipped ourselves with the tools to offer the best proposal and the best experience of F1 at the global level,” he continued. “And we are well aware that we are competing at a global level, with markets that are doing an excellent job.
“Our ambition is to do it equally well or better than our competitors.”
Typically, updates and negotiations over expiring F1 contracts are finalized during the respective race weekends.
However, Sagrera has downplayed the likelihood of any contract finalizations during the upcoming 2024 Spanish GP in Barcelona.
“We are very hopeful, we are very optimistic and the relationship with F1 is excellent,” he noted. “But it is not yet time to explain the details of the negotiations or to close this agreement.
Therefore, for this grand prix, it is highly unlikely that there will be any announcement in this regard. But I trust that in the coming months or years, because we still have two and a half years ahead of us, that we will be able to explain that F1 is staying in Barcelona for much longer.”
