Barcelona

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, at Montmeló north of Barcelona, is a 4.657 km lap with 14 corners since the final chicane was removed in 2023. It mixes every corner type: a heavy braking zone at Turn 1 after the long main straight, the long, fast right-hander at Turn 3, medium-speed sweepers in the middle of the lap and a slower Turn 10 (La Caixa) before the run back to the line. For many years it was the standard pre-season test venue, so teams hold an unusually deep set of data on it; in 2026 only a private shakedown was run here before official testing in Bahrain.

Because it rewards a balanced car, tyre management and aerodynamic efficiency matter more than outright power. Turn 1 is the best passing chance, but following closely through the quick middle section is difficult, so grid position and pit-stop strategy usually decide the race.

The circuit opened in September 1991 and staged its first Spanish Grand Prix that year, won by Nigel Mansell for Williams. It replaced Jerez, which had hosted the race from 1986 to 1990, and gave Spain a permanent venue in Catalonia.

Over the following decades Barcelona became both a race and the sport's main winter testing base. Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton each won here six times. Pastor Maldonado's 2012 victory for Williams, after Lewis Hamilton was excluded from qualifying, remains one of the biggest surprises in the list of winners, and Max Verstappen took his first Formula 1 win here in 2016 on his first race for Red Bull.

The layout has been trimmed over the years: the final chicane was removed for 2023, cutting the lap from 4.675 km to 4.657 km and the corner count from 16 to 14. In 2026 the Spanish Grand Prix moved to the new Madring circuit in Madrid, and Montmeló returned as a separate race, the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix on 14 June. Lewis Hamilton won it, his first victory for Ferrari.