Barcelona's F1 future still open, says F1 CEO Domenicali

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has mentioned that a new agreement to continue holding races in Barcelona could still materialize.

This Wednesday, prior to the Spanish GP this weekend, the Italian was seen with around 40,000 locals in downtown Barcelona at a promotional event that showcased Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Alpine's Jack Doohan driving demonstration cars.

As Madrid is set to join the F1 calendar in 2026, Barcelona's city centre event was designed to demonstrate to Formula 1 that hosting two grands prix in Spain could be viable for future calendars.

Domenicali expressed his admiration for the efforts seen on Wednesday.

"I must say that (Circuit de Catalunya CEO) Oriol Sagrera's work since he took over has been incredible and very professional," he informed Diario AS.

"I don't like to say in public what is right and what is wrong, but the objective for Barcelona is to improve what is offered to the fans. But for now, we are focused on the short-term on making this event fantastic. Afterwards, we will talk about the future at the appropriate time. That stays between us," added Domenicali.

Nonetheless, he acknowledged the complications of having two separate F1 events in Spain, one in Madrid and another in Barcelona, post-2026.

"On the one hand, you could say no," the F1 CEO remarked. "On the other, you could say that there is potential to grow.

"With Fernando (Alonso) and Carlos, Spanish sponsors are very interested in our sport and we have reached a great agreement with DAZN for the television rights. The time will come to make the decision for the future. There is still the possibility," he maintained.

"So while it's difficult, I don't want to rule it out. It will be considered when the time comes."

Domenicali admitted that Barcelona might be considered under F1's plan to rotate certain European races annually.

"Europe can maintain the current number of races, more or less," he stated, "and we will remain stable with 24 grand prix. The opportunity for Europe is to do race alternation in the coming years, because now we are a true world championship rather than a very European championship."