Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd
FIA Formula 2 and Formula 3 have jointly announced that they plan to remain on the Spanish Grand Prix support bill when the race relocates to Madrid in 2026.
Barcelona has hosted the event since the circuit opened in 1991, and the year after that Formula 1’s primary feeder series first visited. It became a mainstay of the calendar for International Formula 3000, GP2 and then F2, with only four seasons (1993, ’96, ’97 & 2021) not featuring races there.
GP3 supported the Spanish GP from the series’ creation in 2010 through to 2018, then after being rebranded as the FIA F3 Championship in 2019 it has continued to race at Barcelona every year on the weekend F1 visits.
Although tracks in the Middle East have recently become the main test venues for F2 and F3 as nations in the region have used motorsport as a channel for expanding their global influence, it is Barcelona that has historically been the circuit which the two paddocks consisting of European teams have used for shakedowns and official series tests over the years.
F1’s contract to race at a temporary circuit in Madrid runs from 2026 to 2035, while Barcelona’s contract expires in 2026. This means the circuit could still host a grand prix, and therefore also F2 and F3, in two years’ time. This remains a possibility since scrutiny of F1’s Spanish GP relocation plans suggests that a race in Madrid may not be possible by year one of the contract.
However the fact that the race organiser, IFEMA Madrid, and representatives of the area in which the circuit will be located, have made an agreement with F2 and F3’s chief executive officer Bruno Michel indicates that plans are advancing on turning the race into a reality. IFEMA has also confirmed a 10-year contract with F1’s two support series.
“With the addition of Madrid to the F1 calendar, it was logical that F2 and F3 would follow suit. I am really looking forward to our cars providing the spectators with some thrilling racing,” said Michel.