Spanish GP: Barcelona under threat with long-standing venue set to be removed

The Spanish Grand Prix will reportedly move from Barcelona to Madrid as organisers in the capital have agreed a deal with F1 starting from 2026.

Barcelona has been on the calendar since 1991 and for many years it also hosted pre-season testing meaning it saw plenty of F1 action.

But that is reportedly set to change as F1 has agreed a deal with Spanish capital Madrid to take the race away from Catalonia.

Madrid gets its wish as Spanish GP venue moves from Barcelona

It is no secret that Madrid has been eager to usurp Barcelona as the Spanish capital of racing but up until now, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya had looked relatively secure on the calendar with its current deal expiring in 2026.

But according to Spanish newspaper El Mundo, the race will move to the Madrid suburbs of Ifema and Valdebebas with a deal supposed to be announced last week but technical issues saw it delayed.

According to the newspaper, an official confirmation will come in the next few hours or next week from F1.

PlanetF1.com understands there is no update yet from F1 on the status of the Barcelona track.

The track will be five kilometres around the pavilions of the fairgrounds, with the starting line in front of the main building. Then it will cross the M-11 towards Valdebebas, circulating parallel to the Real Madrid Sports City and then through the land where the Mad Cool festival has been located for several years, to return again to the pavilions.

The news will presumably be welcomed by Carlos Sainz who was born in the city.

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