Barcelona’s Quiet Bid for F1 Contract Renewal

Barcelona remains optimistic about securing a new F1 deal, keeping negotiations discreet as it navigates challenges in the evolving Grand Prix landscape.

The organizers of the Barcelona Grand Prix remain hopeful of successfully negotiating a new contract to extend their partnership with Formula 1.

While the event at the Circuit de Catalunya is secured for 2025 and 2026, next year it will share the calendar with a new street race in Madrid—the Spanish capital having secured a long-term contract and reclaiming the official Spanish GP title.

Barcelona is expected to take on the title of Catalan GP. However, with F1 clearly shifting away from its European roots and introducing an annual rotation system for certain historic events—starting with Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium—a straightforward contract renewal for Barcelona seems unlikely.

Nonetheless, Catalonia’s Minister of Business, Miquel Samper, remains optimistic, urging “patience” and reminding Barcelona race fans that “silence is often a guarantee of success.”

“We are having exactly the same conversations with F1 as we had with MotoGP, and we need to be patient,” Samper stated while announcing Barcelona’s newly extended MotoGP contract through 2031.

“These are negotiations that require silence,” he added when asked for more details on the ongoing talks with Formula 1.

“Silence is generally a guarantee of success, and we are handling it with the same discretion as we did in all negotiations for MotoGP, but with the hope of achieving the same final outcome.”

When asked if he was optimistic, he replied: “Yes, yes.”

Notably, Carlos Sainz is expected to be announced soon as the ambassador for the Spanish GP in Madrid. Choosing the Williams F1 driver over Fernando Alonso makes sense, as Sainz is from Madrid. Additionally, the Spaniard likely has a longer F1 career ahead of him than his compatriot.