Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix
Is the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix Good for Racing?
Barcelona-Catalunya is a decent racing track rather than a great one, with 78 overtakes in 2025. The best chances come at the end of the 1,047m pit straight into Turn 1 and under braking for La Caixa at Turn 10. George Russell’s pole lap on the right is flat out 62% of the time and never drops below 103km/h, so following through the long loaded corners is hard.
Strategy settled the front in 2026. Lewis Hamilton won from second on the grid, and the one late podium fight ended when Kimi Antonelli broke his end plate passing Russell and retired.
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Strategy Factors
2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix
What to Look Out for at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix
Barcelona-Catalunya isn’t on the 2027 calendar, so these numbers describe the June 2026 race. A green-flag stop costs about 22.96s once the 2.5s stationary time is counted, which is why a stop under a neutralization is worth waiting for. Half of the last eight races here had a Safety Car and one in eight had a Virtual Safety Car.
2026 followed that script. Fernando Alonso’s retirement on lap 47 brought the first of two late Virtual Safety Cars, and Ferrari used it to pit Hamilton without losing the lead. Only 15 of 22 cars were classified.
F1 preview giving the 22.96s pit loss, the Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car rates over eight races and 78 overtakes in 2025.
Race report covering the lap 47 Virtual Safety Car, Ferrari's stop under it and Antonelli's retirement from second on lap 62.
Official event page with the circuit specification, the 2026 result and Piastri's lap record from 2025.
2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix Results and Pay
Select A Row To Explore Details
22 Drivers
| # | Details | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Lewis Hamilton Ferrari | Ferrari | $60m | $70m | $580m | 25 | |
Lewis Hamilton Salary
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| 2 |  George Russell Mercedes | Mercedes | $34m | $50m | $40m | 18 | |
George Russell Salary
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| 3 |  Lando Norris McLaren | McLaren | $30m | $69.5m | $80m | 15 | |
Lando Norris Salary
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| 4 |  Max Verstappen Red Bull | Red Bull | $70m | $90m | $200m | 12 | |
Max Verstappen Salary
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| 5 |  Oscar PiastriMcLaren | McLaren | $13m | $40.5m | $50m | 10 | |
Oscar Piastri Salary
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| 6 |  Isack HadjarRed Bull | Red Bull | $7.5m | $9.5m | $1m | 8 | |
Isack Hadjar Salary
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| 7 |  Pierre Gasly Alpine | Alpine | $18.2m | $29.6m | $33m | 6 | |
Pierre Gasly Salary
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| 8 |  Liam Lawson Racing Bulls | Racing Bulls | $1m | $2m | $2m | 4 | |
Liam Lawson Salary
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| 9 |  Arvid LindbladRacing Bulls | Racing Bulls | $500k-1m | $1m-1.5m | $1m | 2 | |
Arvid Lindblad Salary
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| 10 |  Franco ColapintoAlpine | Alpine | $500k-1m | $1.5m-2m | $5m | 1 | |
Franco Colapinto Salary
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| 11 |  Gabriel Bortoleto Audi | Audi | $2m | $3m | $3m | 0 | |
Gabriel Bortoleto Salary
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| 12 |  Carlos Sainz Williams | Williams | $13m | $16m | $50m | 0 | |
Carlos Sainz Salary
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| 13 |  Esteban Ocon Haas | Haas | $7m | $9m | $21m | 0 | |
Esteban Ocon Salary
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| 14 |  Sergio Pérez Cadillac | Cadillac | $10m | $11.5m | $50m | 0 | |
Sergio Pérez Salary
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| 15 |  Charles LeclercFerrari | Ferrari | $34m | $46m | $70m | 0 | |
Charles Leclerc Salary
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| 16 |  Kimi AntonelliMercedes | Mercedes | $3.4m | $15.4m | $18m | 0 | |
Kimi Antonelli Salary
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| 17 |  Oliver BearmanHaas | Haas | $1m | $1.5m | $1m | 0 | |
Oliver Bearman Salary
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| 18 |  Alex AlbonWilliams | Williams | $12m | $15m | $15m | 0 | |
Alex Albon Salary
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| 19 |  Fernando Alonso Aston Martin | Aston Martin | $20m | $22.5m | $260m | 0 | |
Fernando Alonso Salary
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| 20 |  Nico HülkenbergAudi | Audi | $7m | $9.9m | $10m | 0 | |
Nico Hülkenberg Salary
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| 21 |  Valtteri BottasCadillac | Cadillac | $5m | $7m | $40m | 0 | |
Valtteri Bottas Salary
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| 22 |  Lance StrollAston Martin | Aston Martin | $12m | $13.5m | $50m | 0 | |
Lance Stroll Salary
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Select A Row To Explore Details
11 Teams
| # | Details | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FerrariHamilton, Leclerc | Hamilton, Leclerc | $7.1bn | $670m | $94m | 25 | |
Ferrari F1 Team Value
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| 2 | McLarenNorris, Piastri | Norris, Piastri | $5.2bn | $647m | $43m | 25 | |
McLaren F1 Team Value
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| 3 | Red BullVerstappen, Hadjar | Verstappen, Hadjar | $4.9bn | $618m | $77.5m | 20 | |
Red Bull F1 Team Value
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| 4 | MercedesRussell, Antonelli | Russell, Antonelli | $6.4bn | $839m | $37.4m | 18 | |
Mercedes F1 Team Value
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| 5 | AlpineGasly, Colapinto | Gasly, Colapinto | $2.6bn | $316m | $18.7m-19.2m | 7 | |
Alpine F1 Team Value
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| 6 | Racing BullsLawson, Lindblad | Lawson, Lindblad | $2.4bn | $318m | $1.5m-2m | 6 | |
Racing Bulls F1 Team Value
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| 7 | AudiBortoleto, Hülkenberg | Bortoleto, Hülkenberg | $2.6bn | $240m | $9m | 0 | |
Audi F1 Team Value
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| 8 | WilliamsSainz, Albon | Sainz, Albon | $2.7bn | $323m | $25m | 0 | |
Williams F1 Team Value
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| 9 | HaasOcon, Bearman | Ocon, Bearman | $1.9bn | $150m | $8m | 0 | |
Haas F1 Team Value
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| 10 | CadillacPérez, Bottas | Pérez, Bottas | $1.6bn | Not Yet Filed | $15m | 0 | |
Cadillac F1 Team Value
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| 11 | Aston MartinAlonso, Stroll | Alonso, Stroll | $3.5bn | $353m | $32m | 0 | |
Aston Martin F1 Team Value
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Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix Tire Strategy
Pirelli brought a softer set than usual in 2026, the C2, C3 and C4, to push teams into more stops, and nobody in the top 10 got away with one. Seven stopped twice. Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar stopped three times.
The C2 hard did the heavy lifting, with nine of the top 10 running it twice. Most medium starters pitted between laps 11 and 15, although Arvid Lindblad stretched his first set to 22 laps. Hamilton opened on softs and still won on a track that passed 50C before the start.
Compound and stint length for each top 10 finisher in the 2026 race, used for the strategy chart.
Barcelona-Catalunya Sector by Sector and Corner by Corner
Speeds, gears and braking points below come from George Russell‘s 1:14.679 pole lap in 2026 qualifying. He spent 62% of the lap at full throttle and 10.4 seconds on the brakes across seven braking zones, and peaked at 341 km/h on the pit straight. The slowest point was 103 km/h at Seat, Turn 5.
FastF1 timing data for George Russell's 1:14.679 pole lap, used for the speeds, gears, braking points and sector figures
Turn 1 as the hardest stop, and peak deceleration at Turn 10 in 2026 against 2025
Balance and tire load at Turn 3, and the quotes on Campsa and the final corners
History of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Montmeló has hosted Formula 1 since the month it opened in 1991, and its layout has been tightened and opened up again several times since then, most recently in 2023.
Layout history covering the 1991 opening, the Nissan section, the La Caixa changes and the chicane era.
Covers the 2007 chicane, the 2021 La Caixa rework, the 2023 return to the fast final corners and the pit straight length.
Gives the 1989 construction start, the September 1991 opening and the temporary tire chicane added after Imola in 1994.
How Much Does the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit Cost?
Barcelona-Catalunya pays an estimated $25m a year to host F1, and in practice it's public money, because the Catalan government owns most of the circuit company. In 2019 the newspaper Ara put the fee at $23.5m and reported that the circuit received €6m ($6.8m) a year from the Generalitat, €6m ($6.8m) from the tourist tax and €3m ($3.4m) from Barcelona's city and provincial councils. The cost of building the track in 1991 hasn't been published.
How Much Is the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix Hosting Fee?
No official figure has been published. Catalan newspaper Ara reported in 2019 that F1 charged $23.5m a year, about €21m, and RacingNews365 and Speedcafe have estimated $25m since 2023. Circuits de Catalunya pays it, and the Catalan government owned 78% of that company in 2019, with the RACC holding 14%. Ara also reported accumulated losses of more than €50m ($57.0m) since 2009. Under the rotation deal announced in February 2026, Barcelona alternates with Spa and hosts F1 in 2026, 2028, 2030 and 2032.
The $23.5m fee in 2019, the yearly public contributions, the ownership split and losses of more than €50m since 2009
The $25m fee estimate for Barcelona in 2023
The $25m fee in RacingNews365's contracts table
The February 2026 rotation deal with races in 2028, 2030 and 2032
The contract to 2032 in rotation with Spa
How Much Are Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix Tickets?
Three days of Pelouse general admission cost €225 ($257) at the June 2026 race, and grandstand seats started at €350 ($399) in the six Fan grandstands, including Grandstand N at Campsa. The Principal Grandstand over the pits topped the regular range at €630 ($718), and hospitality started at €3,964 ($4,520) for F1 Experiences' Champions Club. That makes Barcelona-Catalunya the 12th cheapest of the 23 races in our ticket price table. There's no 2027 race, so the next tickets will be for 2028.
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya Track Questions
F1 dropped the final chicane at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in 2023 to improve the flow onto the pit straight. The slow left-right had been added in 2007 to cut speeds, and taking it out brought back the fast final sweepers and left the 14-turn lap used today.
No, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and the Madring are different venues. Barcelona-Catalunya is the permanent track at Montmeló that’s held F1 races since 1991, while the Madring is the newer Madrid layout that took over the Spanish Grand Prix in 2026. Only Madrid is on the 2027 calendar.
The left-side tires and the front axle work hardest at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Nine of the 14 corners are right-handers, the long ones at Turns 3, 4 and 9 hold the load for a long time, and Pirelli rates the wear as mostly thermal on a highly abrasive surface.
Oscar Piastri holds the Barcelona-Catalunya race lap record with 1:15.743 for McLaren in 2025, on the current layout without the final chicane. Older chicane-era laps aren’t comparable, and nobody came close in 2026, when Lewis Hamilton’s fastest lap of 1:20.122 was 4.379s slower.
The Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix pays an estimated $25m a year to host F1, according to RacingNews365 and Speedcafe, and Catalan newspaper Ara put the fee at $23.5m in 2019. The circuit company pays it, and because the Catalan government owns most of that company, the money is largely public.
Barcelona-Catalunya’s next Grand Prix is in 2028. Under a rotation deal announced in February 2026, the circuit alternates with Spa-Francorchamps, hosting F1 in 2028, 2030 and 2032 while Spa takes 2027, 2029 and 2031. Both tracks raced in 2026, and the Spanish Grand Prix name has moved to Madrid.