Barcelona questions its future in F1
After Valencia, which is questioning the future of its Grand Prix, it's now Barcelona's turn to consider the viability of its F1 race.
Barcelona has been hosting the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix since 1991 and a Moto Grand Prix since 1996. But in the coming years, things might change as political leaders are questioning the necessity of such sporting events given the costs they incur.
After Valence, which would like to renegotiate its contract, it is Barcelona’s turn to question its future in F1. Andreu Mas-Colell, the Minister of Economy of Catalonia, revealed that with the ongoing crisis in Spain, various expenditure areas will be reviewed to identify where savings can be made.
«We could reconsider hosting Formula 1 and Moto Grand Prix. We are not convinced that we can afford this in the current situation. It is not the first thing we will reconsider, but in times like these (of crisis), we must closely examine all our areas of expenditure, » Andreu Mas-Colell told radio RAC1.
The Circuit de Catalunya has a contract with Formula 1 until 2016, and it’s a safe bet that nothing will change until then. But after that, things could change because Bernie Ecclestone has never hidden his desire to have only one F1 Grand Prix per European country—currently, both Barcelona and Valencia host a Grand Prix. Therefore, only one of the two cities could host an F1 Grand Prix in the future, unless an alternation is set up between the two circuits.
