Fernando Alonso, recently appointed ambassador of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, advocates for the preservation of the circuit on the Formula 1 calendar in the run-up to the Spanish GP. The current contract of the Catalans expires in 2026, the same year the brand-new Madrid street circuit makes its debut. According to Alonso, there is room for street circuits like the one in the Spanish capital, but Formula 1 should also continue to accommodate historic tracks.
On the eve of – you read it right – the twenty-second home race of his career, Fernando Alonso was asked about the future of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Spanish star has crowned himself winner here twice, but may have to watch the track disappear from the calendar. Formula 1 previously opted for a brand-new street circuit in Madrid. In 2026, both Spanish cities will be visited, but whether Barcelona will remain on the calendar afterwards is uncertain.
‘Facilities have greatly improved’
“Barcelona will stay on the calendar,” Alonso responded firmly. “That’s what I think, and that’s what I hope. It’s good that Formula 1 embraces new circuits – this allows us to visit beautiful new locations. But at the same time, we must protect the historic tracks. Furthermore, Formula 1 is inextricably linked to Barcelona. We have tested here for many years – all teams choose Barcelona when they want to test a car. This winter, we will drive here for the first time with the cars for 2026. It is the quintessential Formula 1 circuit.”
Finally, Alonso described how the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has been thoroughly adapted to meet today’s stringent Formula 1 requirements. “The facilities and the main grandstands have been elevated to a higher level in the last two or three years,” he emphasized. “Over the past decades, this circuit has already left its mark on the Formula 1 calendar. Now, I believe it is ready to continue doing so for the next ten, twenty, thirty, forty years.”
