Take a good look, pal, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has been with us since 1991, but this might be the last time we see it in Formula 1.
The Barcelona circuit it’s just one of those things you know? Like that middle movie from a big saga, that Ice Cream flavor, or that song from a good album: it’s not your favorite, it’s far from being a fan favorite, but you like to know it’s there.
It has certainly given us some great racing through the years, along with its fair share of boring episodes, and sadly, some tragedies too. However, after years of financial struggles, declining attendance, and questionable use of public funding, the 2025 Spain Grand Prix may be the last one hosted by this historic track, as the FIA favors Madrid’s proposed street circuit for next year.
So, what better time than now to pay homage to the Spanish circuit, its highs and lows, and check out who is the new contender to take the Spanish GP to its home city?
The Highs
The tarmac of Barcelona’s circuit keeps the memories of many great moments in our beloved sport. One of the most iconic of those happened eight years ago, during the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.
The Lewis Hamilton vs. Nico Rosberg rivalry reached its climax in Barcelona. Two fierce rivals battling to prove their worth, a now three-time world champion eager for another title, and Germany’s new hotshot, who was not about to stay in Hamilton’s shade. Mercedes wanted a good boy who would behave as and be a 2nd driver for Hamilton, but Rosberg would rather go down with Hamilton than surrender his chance to grab the title.
That is precisely what happened on that afternoon on May 15. A massive spin and shunt between the two Silver Arrows colliding before the apex of Turn 2, and heading towards the wall less than a minute after the race start. One can only imagine the decibels of Toto Wolf’s screams in the garage as they scored zero points and a million in car damage alone. If you have never heard of the story and are curious about the ending, Germany’s new hero became a World Champion, and having made his dream come true, announced his retirement five days later.
But this is not the only reason why we remember this race, because amidst the Mercedes chaos, a star was born.
Our reigning champion, Max Verstappen, was not only starting his maiden race at just 18 years old, but would shockingly take his first win here in Barcelona.
The Dutchman took advantage of the silver arrow’s double knockout and would brilliantly hold his own against an experienced Kimi Raikkonnen, who was charging behind. The youth couldn’t have cared less about the pressure from the Finnish, keeping a strong pace and nursing the tyres all the way to the finish line without giving an inch to the Ferrari driver.
Beating Sebastian Vettel’s record by three years, Verstappen became the youngest ever driver to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix and is still the holder of the record, hinting to fans and rivals at the time that this ruthless driver was just getting started.
The Lows
Barcelona is remembered by many fans for hosting perhaps one of the darkest and most apprehensive race weekends in the sport.
1994 is the year that changed everything in Formula 1 following the wretched events the San Marino Grand Prix, but little is ever said about the overwhelming feeling of dread it left in it’s wake after the tragedy of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna Fans and teams were devastated, but the show must go on, and after a gloomy race in Monaco, Barcelona was next on the schedule.
Tears and sorrow aside, everyone was paranoid; the world was just reminded how fast and deadly these machines were, and no one had the stomach to witness another accident.
Therefore, emergency safety directives were issued with immediate effect by the FIA, some of which quite unusual. The cars, for starters, had their front wings and diffuser’s size reduced, while the ride height was increased. Additionally, the side bargeboards and air ducts above the engine were to be removed, all in an attempt to slow the cars down.
Detachable steering wheels became mandatory, plus ongoing efforts to ban all electronic aids for the cars were accelerated to further reduce the already fast machines. Some teams also resorted to improvised safety measures, like reinforcing the cockpit with additional padding or adding carbon panels to the sides. All of which was an engineering nightmare as the staff had to re-adapt their cars in two weeks to many new measures and conditions they were planned in the original car designs.
However, one of the most bizarre measures of them all, which highlights the overall sense of fear and paranoia, was the impromptu chicane added before the +150 Mph Turn 13 made out of used tyres. The chicane in question was set in place overnight, with two walls of white and blue painted tyres separated by 11 meters between them. It was nicknamed “the chicane of shame” by the fans.
The truth is that the FIA did not request this measure, but it was actually the drivers themselves who called for it. They were adamant that the chicane was too fast and too close to the wall, many of them asking to cancel the race while the teams yelled back with legal threats for breach of contract. Jean Alesi stated that, in aims to save the race, they agreed to race with the proposed makeshift chicane in the Nissan Turn.
Now to be fair with the drivers, these measures were not as absurd as they sound nowadays. In the race prior in Monaco, Karl Wendlinger had massive crash and was in a coma for two weeks, and just a few days before this very race in Spain, Pedro Lamy spun out of the track in Silverstone, fracturing both legs and an arm while testing the new FIA-required safety changes.
We can say with reasonable certainty that the danger is behind us now, and those wild days are over for the sport, but in reality, you can’t ever escape the risk of pushing a vehicle to its limits. Such was the case in the 2016 Catalan GP during the free practice of the MotoGP’s feeder series Moto2, as Luis Salom crashed in Turn 12, fatally colliding with his bike after falling.
During that weekend, the switch was made in favor of the safer F1 layout, but it reminded us of just how dangerous Motorsport can be, no matter the discipline you race in.
The Current State Of Affairs
Our track host has undergone many changes since its inception and debut in 1991, but its stint, while long, may have come to an end.
The track suffered significant financial difficulties during the last decade and was at one point over 50 million Euros in deficit, having to resort to the local government and public funding to stay afloat. A deal that, after audits were conducted in 2018, revealed many ‘irregularities’ as it always happens with these things, putting the circuit in a complex situation.
On the other side of the street, long-time city rival Madrid and its local government are ready to commit to +48 million euros annually (twice as what Barcelona paid) and have secured a 10-year contract to host the Spanish Grand Prix, starting in 2026.
As it stands, Barcelona’s contract expires next year, and while there are ongoing talks to renew the contract and have both cities host the F1 GP, alternating with each other, there is no official confirmation.
This effectively puts Madrid as our next host for the 2026 Spain Grand Prix and will leave the Catalunya region with empty grandstands and memories of better days.
