New deal confirmed as Barcelona keeps its place on calendar
Tuesday 27 August 2019 19:11, UK
The Spanish GP will remain on the F1 calendar next season after striking a new deal, with the sport taking another step towards completing a bumper 2020 schedule.
The Barcelona event appeared to be in direct competition with Germany for the final slot on a record 22-race calendar, and a new contract, initially only for one year, was confirmed on Tuesday to secure its stay.
"The decision to continue to stage a round of the pinnacle of motor sport in Spain, a country with a great motor racing tradition, dating back to the start of the last century, is part of our strategy of maintaining Formula 1's European roots, while also currently expanding the championship into new territories," said F1 Chairman Chase Carey.
Carey said the parties would seek to agree a longer-term deal in the coming months.
The Spanish GP will celebrate fifty years on the F1 calendar in 2020, while the race will be the 30th consecutive grand prix in Barcelona. The Circuit de Catalunya first hosted a race in 1991.
Described as "one of the most technically demanding circuits on the calendar", the Barcelona track also stages F1 pre-season testing every season.
What's the latest on F1's calendar?
F1 went into 2019 with five of its oldest races - Spain, Britain, Germany, Italy and Mexico - in the final year of their contracts.
The recent renewals with Silverstone, Mexico City and Spain, plus the agreement of a deal in principle with Monza, leaves Germany as the favourite to drop out again.
With the confirmed additions of Vietnam, at a new street circuit in Hanoi, and the return of Zandvoort in the Netherlands, the F1 season looks set to expand by an additional race for 2020.
"The commercial rights holder has come to us to say, you know, that 22 races is a possibility for next year and would we support it," said Red Bull boss Christian Horner at the Hungarian GP.
"I think in principle, yes, is the answer, but it has to be combined with what other activities are going on in terms of: do we need to do as much in-season testing as we currently do; do we need to do as much pre-season testing?"
The 2020 season will start on March 15 in Australia, which recently extended its own F1 deal in Melbourne until 2025.
