F1 News: Barcelona will offer more $ to sign new long-term F1 deal

(GMM) A new deal to keep Formula 1 in Barcelona beyond 2026, when Madrid is taking over the official Spanish GP moniker, is “just as close” as it was a few months ago.

That’s the news from the mouth of Oriol Sagrera, the new CEO of the Circuit de Catalunya – home of the Spanish GP since the early 90s.

“We still have a lot of room to finalize the details of the renewal,” he told Spanish publications.

His comments come as the circuit reveals a deal with Fira de Barcelona – the city’s trade fair institution. A new company, Fira Circuit, is now in charge of managing activities at the historic Formula 1 track for the next 20 years.

Fira de Barcelona head Constanti Serrallonga played down the notion that the deal could fall apart if F1 contract negotiations with Liberty Media fail.

“Not at all,” he said. “The scenario is that Fira can contribute to improving the activity of the circuit beyond Formula 1, and this makes sense in any scenario.

“The agreement is for 20 years, regardless of whether the future is with or without F1, although we hope to have F1 for many years.”

April 10, 2024

(GMM) Barcelona is not giving up on Formula 1, despite Madrid’s high profile new long time deal to start hosting the official Spanish GP from 2026.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali is not ruling out a scenario in which Madrid and Barcelona, the sport’s traditional Spanish venue since the early 90s, could co-exist in the future.

And that’s precisely what Roger Torrent, the minister of business and work in Catalonia, says he is working on.

Also serving as president of the Circuit de Catalunya at this critical time in its F1 history, Torrent told the local TV3 broadcaster that talks with Formula 1 are “well focused and continue to move forward”.

Torrent is confident this year’s Spanish GP will be “the best that has ever been organized in Catalonia,” which he says will contribute “decisively” to the F1 contract talks.

“The circuit is undertaking spectacular works,” he explained, “with a very important investment to adapt it to the 21st century and turn it into the best permanent track in the world.

“When we renewed for five years, until 2026, it allowed us to address a strategic plan and the renovation of the facilities. We still have three of those five grands prix to go and we are convinced that the next one in June will be the best in the history of the circuit”.

He said the venue will work with local authorities and institutions so that F1 can remain “for many more years in Barcelona”.

“Both Formula 1 and MotoGP are happy with the involvement of Catalonia and Barcelona in the celebration of their grands prix,” Torrent added.

March 15, 2024

(GMM) The Circuit de Catalunya is spending no less than 50 million euros to convince Formula 1 to stay in Barcelona.

It was recently announced that F1 will head to a rival project in Madrid from 2026 – the final year in Barcelona’s current contract.

Formula 1 is not ruling out a new deal with Barcelona, but it would probably only be an annually alternating arrangement with another European circuit.

Madrid, however, appears to be optimistic about becoming F1’s sole Spanish race from 2027 onwards.

“The optimism is ours,” the Circuit de Catalunya’s track director Josep Lluis Santamaria insisted to Spanish media this week.

The reporters were at the circuit to check out progress on renovation works that are currently underway – with EUR 50m slated to be spent by 2026.

“For MotoGP we will have finished everything on the terrace, the pit building, the control power and almost the entire rooftop structure, which will be finished for F1,” he said, referring to the MotoGP race in late May, and F1’s Spanish GP about a month later.

The innovative ‘Rooftop’ structure straddles the track on the back straight, and is a bold gamble by Barcelona aimed at convincing F1 to keep the circuit on the calendar in 2027 and beyond.

“There are countries that have up to three grands prix, like the United States,” Santamaria insisted. “Why can’t you have two in Spain?

“(Stefano) Domenicalli has already said that. Just like in Italy as well. We are working on it and we are sure that Formula 1 will stay here for many years.

“The contacts we have (with F1) are continuous,” he continued. “Every week we have meetings. Meetings with commercial teams, with the promotion team. What we can already show this year is the quality of the work we have done.”

Santamaria says some of the talks with F1 and its CEO Domenicali have been taking place in the wake of the Madrid GP announcement.

“F1 came here,” he confirmed. “And we had a meeting in London explaining the projects. That was last month.

“Last week, the F1 engineering team came and they stood still because of how quickly we are moving forward.”

Santamaria says one of F1’s demand is that the city of Barcelona needs to get more involved with promoting festival-like events to promote the race.

“You will soon have information on what will be done in the city,” he revealed. “Last year there were already activities and this year there will be too.

“It is true that with the changes in government of the Barcelona council, relations have improved a lot and allow us to hold joint events with the city.”

January 27, 2024

Barcelona is currently paying a Hosting fee of $25 million per year. Word on the street is that Barcelona wants to renew its F1 contract six years – through the 2032 season. Their current contract expires in after the 2026 race.

They would be willing to up their annual fee by $10 million to $35 million in fees per season.

It could coexist with Madrid on the calendar and be called either:

Barcelona GP
Catalonia GP
European GP

January 25, 2024

(GMM) Barcelona’s city council is open to spending more money if it rescues its embattled Formula 1 race

As was predicted, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali on Tuesday was in the Spanish capital to announce a ten-year deal for an annual Formula 1 race in the city of Madrid.

The deal starts in 2026 – the year after the contract with Spain’s existing grand prix at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona expires.

But Domenicali is not ruling out a new deal for Barcelona.

“First of all, Oriol Sagrera is an incredible person,” he said, referring to the new boss of the Barcelona track – F1’s Spanish home since 1991.

“We are working to look into the future and we will see,” Domenicali added. “We will keep you updated. Two circuits in Spain on the same calendar?

“Why not?” the Italian said.

The new Madrid race, however, is completely privately funded – while Barcelona relies on a certain amount of institutional and government funding.

So as the Madrid news broke, the Barcelona city council reacted by insisting it will make extra efforts to keep a second Spanish race on the calendar. Believe it? Try your hand at Australian Betting.

“We maintain our commitment to the Circuit de Catalunya and have made clear our political, institutional and economic support throughout the negotiations, even expressing our willingness to increase the current financial contribution to guarantee the competitiveness of the Montmelo facilities,” the council said.

Barcelona was contributing EUR 3 million euros per year in 2017, but in recent years that funding has halved.

The Generalitat de Catalonia – the regional government – revealed on Tuesday that it “maintains an excellent relationship with F1”, while the Catalan department of business said “there is a lot of time ahead” before 2026.

And Spain’s sports minister, Pilar Alegria, met with Domenicali after Tuesday’s announcement and conveyed the government’s interest in “working towards the concurrence of two grands prix in our country”.

She explained: “That has already happened in previous years in Spain as well as other countries such as Italy, Germany and the United States.”

As for the Madrid mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida, he said on Tuesday: “This is not a grand prix of Madrid against Catalonia or against Barcelona.

“What interests me is that Madrid has a grand prix, not that someone else stops having one,” he told Antena 3.

F1 CEO Domenicali agrees: “I remember the first meeting with (Ifema Madrid president) Jose Vicente and he said Madrid wanted to propose a contract complementary to what F1 does in Barcelona.

“The fact that we are in Madrid does not exclude that we can stay in Barcelona for the future.”

Current F1 Event Statistics with British GP Update

Rnd	2024 Date	Event	Circuit	Location	Hosting Fee ($)	Contract Good Thru	2023 3-Day Attendance	Length (km)	Length (Miles)	Turns	Laps
1	March 2	Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit	Sakhir	45 million	2036	99,500	5.412	3.363	15	57
2	March 9	Saudi Arabian Grand Prix	Jeddah Street Circuit	Jeddah	55 million	2030	150,000	6.175	3.837	27	50
3	March 24	Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit	Melbourne	40 million	2035	444,631	5.279	3.280	16	58
4	April 7	Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course	Suzuka	50 million	2029	222,000	5.807	3.608	18	53
5	April 21	Chinese GP	Shanghai Intl Circuit	Shanghai	50 million	2025	No Race	5.451	3.387	16	56
6	May 7	Miami Grand Prix	Miami International Autodrome	Miami	Collaboration Assume $45M	2031	270,491	5.410	3.362	19	57
7	May 19	Emilia Romagna Grand Prix	Imola	Imola	20 million	2025	No Race	4.909	3.050	21	66
8	May 26	Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco	Monte Carlo	20 million	2025	200,000	3.340	2.075	19	78
9	June 9	Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles Villeneuve 14 turns	Montreal	30 million	2031	345,000	4.361	2.710	14	70
10	June23	Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Barcelona	Montmeló	25 million	2026	284,066	4.655	2.892	16	66
11	June 30	Austrian Grand Prix	Red Bull Ring	Spielberg	25 million	2030	304,000	4.326	2.688	10	71
12	July 7	British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit	Silverstone	40 million	2034	480,000	5.891	3.660	18	52
13	July 21	Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring	Mogyoród	40 million	2032	303,000	4.381	2.722	14	70
14	July 28	Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps	Stavelot	25 million	2025	380,000	7.004	4.352	19	44
15	August 25	Dutch Grand Prix	Circuit Zandvoort	Zandvoort	32 million	2025	305,000	4.459	2.771	14	72
16	September 1	Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza	Monza	25 million	2025	304,135	5.793	3.600	17	53
17	September 15	Azerbaijan Grand Prix	Baku City Circuit	Baku	55 million	2026	95,000	6.003	3.730	20	51
18	September 22	Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit	Singapore	35 million	2028	264,108	5.063	3.146	23	61
19	October 20	United States Grand Prix	Circuit of the Americas	Austin	25 million	2026	432,000	5.513	3.426	20	56
20	October 27	Mexico City Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez	Mexico City	25 million	2025	400,639	4.304	2.674	17	71
21	November 3	Sao Paulo Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace	São Paulo	30 million	2030	267,000	4.309	2.677	15	71
22	November 23	Las Vegas Grand Prix	Las Vegas Street Circuit	Las Vegas	Owned by F1 Assume $45M	2033	315,000	6.120	3.803	17	50
23	December 1	Qatar Grand Prix	Losail International Circuit	Losail	55 million	2032	120,000	5.380	3.343	16	57
24	December 8	Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit,	Abu Dhabi	40 million	2030	165,000	5.554	3.451	21	55
				w/o Madrid	$877 million		6,150,570	Averages	3.234 mi.	18	60
25	TBD	Spanish GP	IFEMA Madrid Circuit	Madrid	65 million	2035	330,000	5.474	3.401	20	56
				w/Madrid	$942 million		6,480,570	Averages	3.240 mi.	18	60

January 23, 2024

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali says Barcelona may still have a future place on the calendar, despite the announcement that the Spanish Grand Prix will move to Madrid in 2026.

How? Pay a large new sanction fee

“For the avoidance of doubt and to clarify here, the fact we are in Madrid is not excluding the fact we could stay in Barcelona for the future,” Domenicali told the F1 website.

“Looking ahead, there are discussions in place to see if we can really extend our collaboration with Barcelona, with whom we have a very good relationship, for the future.”

“Spain was a market that just a couple of years ago, was not in the center of our eyes,” he said.

“Now it is very important. We signed a new deal with Spanish broadcaster DAZN until at least the end of 2026.

“It’s a nice problem to have, to have multiple cities – some in the same country – wanting to host a grand prix.

“It shows the value of our proposition. But we need to keep focused on the reason for our success, and make sure we aren’t complacent.”

“It’s great news for F1 as it shows once again that there is strong appetite around the world for our sport,” he said.

“It shows that at a moment where Europe is perceived to be a place that is not ready to invest in our sport, Madrid and others are showing it is.

“They have presented a fascinating project, one that will be built in the next couple of years and a project that is considering the fans and their whole experience, from their travel to the whole event experience.

“The proposition we received from the promoter was great. Since the first day, it has been an open discussion of what this event can be.”

“I’m very pleased that it’s a deal that takes us to 2035 – it’s a long time,” he said. “This is the objective as F1, with either new or more established promoters.

“It allows everyone involved to plan the future and invest in the future as it is a guarantee for the promoter, for our partners, for our teams and for our sport. It gives everyone long-term visibility.

“If you look at the past, the renewals were two years, three years or five years maximum. Now all our new deals are going in the direction of being very long. And if they are short, there is a reason.”

January 22, 2024

(GMM) Barcelona is determined to stay on the Formula 1 calendar, even if a second grand prix in Spain is set to be imminently announced for Madrid.

Photos of the stage for the announcement of a Madrid GP are now circulating online ahead of Tuesday’s event, which will be attended by F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.

But what is not known is how Formula 1’s latest city race will affect the existing long-time Spanish GP host in Barcelona, at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Pere Aragones, the president of the government of Catalonia, insists he is not overly worried.

“We are working with Formula 1,” he told Catalunya Radio. “The relationship is good.

“We are working to have another contract with which to continue for a few more years. We are working on that and making positive progress and will announce it when we have it signed.”

Barcelona has held the Spanish GP at the same permanent circuit since 1991, but it is now rumored that Madrid could either replace the event or the two hosts will alternate annually.

President Aragones insists he feels no pressure to accelerate the F1 talks.

“To defend the interests of Catalonia, we set the rhythms, the dynamics and the criteria,” he said. “The future of F1 in Catalonia will depend on the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit and on F1 itself. Not on anyone else.”

He would not be drawn on whether the new Madrid GP is the death knell for Barcelona’s event.

“If there can be grands prix in other places is a question for F1, not for us,” said Aragones. “This year we will have a grand prix and from 2026 we are working to ensure the continuity of the grand prix held in Catalonia.

“After that, F1 will say what happens in other places.”

Madrid’s new F1 race will take place in and around the Ifema event facilities near the airport, with a circuit that is rumored to include a heavily banked corner and a unique indoor section.

July 26, 2023

Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya wants to renew its F1 contract until 2036, according to reports from Spanish news outlets.

The current contract ends in 2025 to possibly make way for the Madrid Grand Prix but in Barcelona they have assured that they want to certainly extend the contract for many more years to come.

The Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya has a contract with F1 until 2026 included to celebrate the Spanish Grand Prix and not only will it fulfill until the last year, but it is in talks with Liberty Media and Stefano Domenicaii to expand this link.

As MARCA has learned, Josep Lluis Santamariía, director of the Circuit and his management team intend to renew for an extra decade on the current contract, through 2036. The Spanish GP has been held uninterruptedly in Montmeló since 1991.

Liberty Media is looking to lock in long-term deals to ensure positive cash flow for many years to come.

Hungary recently renewed his weekend until 2032, and before that Australia until 2035.

But for Barcelona the threat of the Spanish GP moving to Madrid is real. We have had 11 updates to our rumor regarding Madrid landing an F1 race.

Could Spain support two F1 races?

Organizers of a grand prix in Madrid claim they will soon be signing a race contract with Formula 1.

In recent months, rumors have ramped up about a potential rival bid for the existing Spanish GP in Barcelona.

“I just can say that I will do my maximum and just to ensure that there’s still a Spanish GP, independently of where,” the Spaniard added.

On Thursday, the president of Ifema, the entity in charge of the organization of major events in Madrid, claimed that a race deal is close.

“We have a confidentiality agreement and I cannot reveal when we are going to have the contract,” said Ifema president Jose Vicente de los Mozos.

“But I know when we are going to sign it and when we are going to announce it,” he added.

“I speak with Stefano Domenicali and there is mutual trust. We are going to do things together.”

As for whether a new event in Madrid would oust Barcelona from the calendar, de los Mozos answered: “If in the end there are two, as there was in the past, I’m delighted.

“But I speak and work for Madrid.”

Madrid appears to be on the fast track to the Formula 1 calendar, and it has already registered the Madrid Grand Prix trademark.

During a recent Red Bull Showrun in Madrid, Sergio Perez gave even more fuel to rumors the Spanish capital is poised to ink a race deal with F1 by demonstrating two Sebastian Vettel title-winning Red Bull cars on the Madrid streets in front of 85,000 fans.

“Although I’m not at home,” the Mexican told local Spanish media, “I feel as if I am.

“Madrid deserves a Formula 1 race,” Perez declared.

Madrid, whose event would be a street race, would apparently replace rather than complement the existing Spanish GP at Barcelona.

“Street races are special,” said Perez, “because there is a different atmosphere in each city.

“This is a great city,” he added in Madrid, “and the atmosphere would be fantastic.

“I’m also very good at these types of circuits,” Perez smiled.