Formula 1 confirms new Spanish GP deal for 2020
Formula 1 has confirmed that the Spanish Grand Prix will remain on its calendar for 2020 after striking of a fresh contract to save the race.
The Spanish Grand Prix has featured on the F1 calendar every year since 1986, taking place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on the outskirts of Barcelona since 1991.
The future of the race looked bleak when it reached the end of its existing contract in May, and was set to lose its government funding that had helped meet F1’s hosting fee.
Formula 1 has confirmed that the Spanish Grand Prix will remain on its calendar for 2020 after striking of a fresh contract to save the race.
The Spanish Grand Prix has featured on the F1 calendar every year since 1986, taking place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on the outskirts of Barcelona since 1991.
The future of the race looked bleak when it reached the end of its existing contract in May, and was set to lose its government funding that had helped meet F1’s hosting fee.
But after Catalan government officials confirmed last month that the funding would continue to aid the race, F1 announced on Monday that Spain had kept its place on the calendar for next year.
“We are pleased to confirm that the Spanish Grand Prix will be on the calendar of the 2020 FIA Formula 1 World Championship" said F1 CEO and chairman Chase Carey.
"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. The promoter’s willingness to be part of Formula 1 going into 2020 is proof of the sport’s ability to act as a catalyst for regions to hold world class events and also to have a positive impact on the area’s economy.
"In the coming months, we will continue our discussions to see if we can further extend this advantageous relationship. In the meantime, I would like to thank Quim Torra, the Catalan President for his vital support in these negotiations, in the hope of celebrating a fantastic fiftieth Spanish Grand Prix in 2020, the thirtieth to be held at one of the most technically demanding circuits on the World Championship calendar.”
Spain is set to retain its mid-May slot on the calendar for 2020, but is expected to become the second European round of the season, with the incoming Dutch Grand Prix slotting in ahead on the schedule.
