Barcelona is pushing to reclaim its spot on F1’s pre-season testing calendar, with discussions underway to host sessions from January 2026.
Barcelona hopes to return to the official Formula 1 pre-season testing calendar in 2026.
For this year’s three days of running, teams opted for Bahrain, hoping for predictable and sunny weather.
However, despite its desert location, the Sakhir track was, in Dr. Helmut Marko’s words, “colder than Europe” and particularly windy, while a power outage on the first day was “something I’ve never seen in modern Formula 1.”
Moreover, Bahrain is a unique circuit, unlike the much more representative curves of the Circuit de Catalunya.
“We won’t be able to determine a pecking order in a cold and damp Bahrain,” said Williams’ James Vowles after rain hit the track on Thursday.
Only Aston Martin and Haas F1 had selected Pirelli wet-weather tires among the 35 available sets.
It is unclear whether teams regret their decision to head to Bahrain, but Barcelona could still be back on the agenda for 2026.
With brand-new chassis and engine regulations, Formula 1 will allow teams three full three-day tests early next year.
Barcelona could actually host two of those sessions.
“We are in talks for now, and we only know that teams will come here at the end of January, but obviously, we would like to return to the pre-season calendar.”
Indeed, despite being left out of the official schedule, Barcelona hosted Ferrari this year for Lewis Hamilton’s test in the 2023 car. A few days later, Ferrari and McLaren helped Pirelli develop the 2026 tires on the same Spanish circuit.
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Circuit de Catalunya Set for F1 Comeback Talks Circuit de Catalunya Set for F1 Comeback Talks Circuit de Catalunya Set for F1 Comeback Talks
