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'Barcelona has never really been a great circuit'
Damon Hill can somewhat understand Formula 1's decision to move away from Barcelona in Spain. According to the former Formula One driver, racing at the Catalonia circuit has not been great in recent years.
"They must be a little bit crestfallen, having seen the race go to a rival city. Madrid and Barcelona have got their rivalries," Hill told Sky Sports. The one-time world champion would not be disappointed if Formula 1 decides not to call at the Circuit de Catalunya in the future.
"The circuit itself in Barcelona was never a great racetrack. The problem with Barcelona was that the corners had a very constant radius and were medium to high speed. It really put a limit on cars being able to race there. It has got a fantastically long straight, which was helpful, and they only recently brought back in the quick corner before the last corner, which helped a little bit with cars getting close to each other and the new regulations. But the problem with Barcelona was it did produce rather processional races."
Barcelona may hold out hope
The top class of motorsport has visited Catalonia since 1991, but that era may come to an end with Madrid also on the calendar from 2026. The future of Formula 1 in Barcelona is not a closed book. According to Stefano Domenicali, it is also possible to host two Grands Prix in Spain.
