Circuit info
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Interesting facts
For decades, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was the teams' go-to winter testing ground, since its fast, sweeping corners, especially Turn 3, nicknamed 'Renault' and taken at close to 4g, instantly exposed an unstable front end. Construction began in 1989 and the track opened in 1991, timed for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics; it has hosted the Spanish Grand Prix every year since. At the first Spanish Grand Prix in 1991, Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell ran side by side down the entire main straight fighting for second place; Mansell won the battle and went on to win the race, producing one of Formula 1's most iconic photographs. In 1996 Michael Schumacher scored his first Ferrari win in torrential rain: he passed race leader Jacques Villeneuve on lap 13, then pulled away at three seconds a lap faster than the rest of the field. In 2016 Max Verstappen won his very first Formula 1 race here on his Red Bull debut, after Mercedes rivals Hamilton and Rosberg collided and retired on the opening lap, making him the youngest race winner in the sport's history at the time. From 2026 the Spanish Grand Prix moves to a new circuit in Madrid, while Barcelona, racing as the 'Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix,' stays on the calendar in alternation with Belgium through 2032. The circuit is located in Barcelona, Spain. Formula 1 has raced here since 1991, with 36 races held so far, most recently in 2026. The first race here was won by Nigel Mansell, in 1991. The most recent winner here was Lewis Hamilton, in 2026. Lewis Hamilton has won here more than anyone else, 7 times. Among constructors, Ferrari has been the most successful here, with 9 wins. The lap record here is held by Giancarlo Fisichella, at 1:15.641 (Renault, 2005). The recorded top speed at this circuit is 360 km/h.