The race for the Spanish Grand Prix ended last weekend and the host of the race was the famous track in Barcelona. This circuit has hosted the Formula 1 caravan since 1991 and the streak of races at the Catalan circuit has never been interrupted.
Formula 1 experienced a sudden evolution in the previous years, and Spanish racers are one of the “culprits” for that. During the weekend that the drivers spent in Spain, 300,000 fans had the opportunity to watch the fastest cars in the world. Great joy is brought to the top of Formula 1 by the fact that they gather an increasingly younger population of fans and that a large percentage of them are precisely from the Spanish climate.
This motivated the people of Madrid to want that race in their city. The Formula 1 team wants more attractive street races in its calendar, and Madrid offers exactly one of those. Thus began the war for the Spanish Grand Prix between the traditional and recognizable track in Barcelona and the modern one in Madrid. The president of Liberty, Stefano Domenikali, said that he does not rule out the possibility of two grand prix in Spain, but that the chances of that are small.
In recent years, the track in Barcelona has not fully met the conditions that the Formula 1 caravan requires from the race organizers, but despite this, it was awarded a contract until 2026. Since 2021, when they signed a new contract, the organizers have improved their impression step by step. Domenikali pointed out that changes have happened and that he is finally seeing the changes that have been waiting for many years.
The drivers of the fastest cars in the world commented differently on the possibility of moving the race for the Spanish Grand Prix. The Spaniards, regardless of the great love they have for the track in Barcelona, want a race on home ground at any cost.
Spain’s Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso said “I’ll be happy to race in Barcelona, I’ll be happy to race in Madrid – if I’m here in 2026 and 2027. If I’m not here, I’ll be watching on TV, and that doesn’t change much.” When asked if there are too many street races in the championship, he said “Probably. It’s good to have a few, but not too many.”
“I can only say that I will do my best just to make sure that there is still a Spanish Grand Prix, regardless of where.” explained the increasingly popular Spaniard and Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz. He added that Barcelona is doing a great job and that he enjoys coming to this track. His teammate Charles Leclerc declared that it would be strange not to race on the track in Catalonia.
Formula 1 Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton said, “I don’t think I would want to lose Barcelona. First, I love the city. I think it’s really important that we keep some of the classic tracks.”
The emergence of more racing in the US and the Middle East has put European racing under pressure. For now, only Italy and America have provided two races in one country, and whether Spain will become another one of them in 2027 remains to be seen.
