Barcelona is at the Formula 1 road show on June 19 on Paseo de Gracia boulevard going from Plaça de Catalunya square to Aragó street, right in front of Antoni Gaudí's Casa Batlló. The event should be part of the long program activities on the Spanish Grand Prix.
F1 cars will circulate Paseo de Gracia boulevard in the center of the city, passing by emblematic places of Art Nouveau, such as Gaudí's Casa Batlló. The wide avenue leaves enough room for drivers to do donuts and for spectators to watch the spectacle.
There will also be a fan village installed in Plaça Catalunya, at the end of Passeig de Gràcia. The site will house a stage, a fan zone and food and drink stalls.
The activities will begin on June 15 until June 22, just on the Saturday of the Grand Prix that will take place on June 23 at the Montmeló racetrack.
The authorities announced the event from Casa Ametller, one of the landmarks located on Passeig de Gràcia, on Tuesday afternoon with an immersive experience.
The event will be a "link between the race and the city, bringing the passion of the Formula 1 racing championship to the city center with many activities," Kate Hodgkinson, director of racing and market development at Formula One, said during the event. 1. .
The acting Minister of Business, Roger Torrent, announced that the Barcelona Formula 1 Fan Festival will be a “fantastic spectacle, since the city will experience the Grand Prix intensely.”
Barcelona will be able to "live the excitement that comes with Formula 1," Torrent said as residents "will see Formula 1 cars driving through the city center, a historic event."
"We will be able to enjoy it before our eyes, the event is free for everyone, as well as for F1 fans," Torrent added.
The road show is something that “has not been experienced before in Catalonia,” added the acting councillor.
Madrid and Barcelona?
The Spanish Grand Prix will be held every year at the Circuit de Catalunya, north of Barcelona, until 2026.
In January, Formula One announced that the Spanish Grand Prix will be held in Madrid from 2026 to 2035. An agreement was reached with IFEMA Madrid for the construction of a new circuit, incorporating urban and non-urban sections.
The Catalan government said they were continuous negotiations on the extension of the contract with F1 for the Circuit of Catalonia.
Meanwhile, Hodgkinson said there are conversations and “there is still a lot on the table” as there are “many requests for destination races around the world,” he added during the road show launch event.
"We have to consider all aspects, since it is very important to highlight that F1 contributes a lot to the Spanish market, also in Madrid, but we will continue the conversations," he concluded.
Air pollution concerns
Eixample Respira, an organization that fights against air pollution in the Eixample neighborhood, where Passeig de Gràcia is located, asked when it was first reported that the Formula One roadshow be cancelled, calling it "absurd" on X, formerly Twitter.
Environmentalists said citizens "are suffering from a public health crisis caused by poor air quality and noise," reads a statement.
"Is absurd plan a Formula One exhibition in the city centre, where thousands of people live, many of them particularly vulnerable to the effects of pollution," they added.
