The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya lies in Montmeló, north of Barcelona, Spain, and hosted the Spanish Grand Prix every year from 1991 to 2025. In 2026 it staged the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, after the Spanish Grand Prix moved to Madrid. Opened in 1991 ahead of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, when it hosted the start and finish of a cycling event, it long served as Formula 1's favourite pre-season testing venue.
Its blend of long straights and high-, medium- and low-speed corners makes it an all-round test of a car's aerodynamic balance, typified by the long right-hander at Turn 3. Since 2023 Formula 1 has bypassed the slow chicane added in 2007, restoring fast, sweeping final corners onto the main straight. Changeable winds can also unsettle the cars.
- Hosted every Spanish Grand Prix from 1991 to 2025.
- Long Formula 1's favourite venue for pre-season testing.
- The final chicane was dropped in 2023, restoring fast final corners.
What to watch for: High-energy corners make tyre wear and pit-stop strategy central, and Turn 1 at the end of the long main straight is the principal overtaking spot.