Barcelona targets full-time F1 return beyond Spa deal

Barcelona is treating its new Formula 1 rotation with Spa-Francorchamps as a starting point, not a ceiling, with Catalan officials and circuit leaders already pushing for a return to an annual place on the calendar and keeping the door open to step in if future schedules are disrupted.

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has secured race rights for 2028, 2030 and 2032 under an alternation agreement with Spa, but the message from the Spanish Grand Prix weekend was that Catalonia does not consider that the final shape of Barcelona’s future in the world championship. Salvador Illa, president of Catalonia, made that explicit at the circuit on Sunday when he said, "We rule out nothing."

Illa said the region intends to aim higher than a biennial slot. "As shown this week, given the prestige of Barcelona and Catalonia, we can aim for whatever we want," he said. He also pointed to Spain’s unusual position on the calendar, adding: "Only the United States and Spain hold more than one Formula 1 Grand Prix. That also shows the trust placed in Catalonia."

Barcelona’s position has been strengthened by the fact that it kept its race only after a change in approach from local authorities, according to Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali in comments to AS. Domenicali said he had been direct with Barcelona in the past because there was a period when the race was treated as guaranteed regardless of investment levels or the improvements still needed at the venue.

That, he said, is no longer the case. "Now the people involved at government level, together with the promoter’s team, have done an incredible job and managed to keep the race," Domenicali said. He also thanked Illa for his commitment and said those involved worked hard to secure the future of a circuit he believed deserved to remain in Formula 1.

The next part of Barcelona’s campaign goes beyond the Spa rotation. It is also positioning itself as a contingency option if geopolitical instability forces Formula 1 to revisit future calendars. Manuel Aviñó, president of the Real Federación Española de Automovilismo, said in a SoyMotor.com interview on June 12 that "we will have to see whether Barcelona might become a Plan B."

Circuit president Miquel Sàmper then made clear the venue would be willing to help if needed. Speaking in a press setting at Montmeló on Sunday, Sàmper said Barcelona has the infrastructure Formula 1 drivers want for testing and "the human team with the capacity to organize any major event in 11 days," adding that if Formula 1 felt the circuit could help, it would do everything possible to make it happen.

That same urgency is shaping the longer-term plan. Pau Relat, president of Fira de Barcelona and Fira Circuit, said on June 12 that restoring an annual place is already "a priority and something we are starting to work on right now." Illa struck the same forward-looking note after meeting Domenicali during the weekend, saying he was certain Formula 1 would remain in Barcelona for many years to come.