Change of venues? 'F1 swaps Barcelona for Madrid in '27'

In football, Barcelona and Madrid are always opposed. In Formula 1, too, this seems to be becoming the case. It has been rumoured for some time that the Spanish Grand Prix will move from Barcelona to Madrid. According to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, the moment of a switch is getting closer and closer.

The medium writes that there has been no official announcement, but according to the newspaper, the decision has now been made: Madrid will host Formula 1 from 2027. It is still unclear whether the Ifema circuit will be the venue. In any case, F1 will disappear from the Circuit de Catalunya, which has hosted the Grand Prix every year since 1968 (with the exception of the years '82-'85).

Changed layout for upcoming edition

The current contract of the track near Barcelona expires in 2026. For the upcoming edition, the organisers have made a major change to the circuit. Criticism of the Grand Prix became increasingly fierce in recent years, mainly because of the alleged inability to overtake. That should improve on the circuit's new layout.

With the new layout, the last, slow chicane disappears. This allows drivers to get up to speed earlier and follow each other more easily. This should make it easier to overtake at the end of the straight. The layout with the chicane had been used since 2007.