New F1 deal for Barcelona ’just as close’ as before

A new deal to keep Formula 1 in Barcelona beyond 2026, when Madrid is taking over the official Spanish GP moniker, is "just as close" as it was a few months ago.

That’s the news from the mouth of Oriol Sagrera, the new CEO of the Circuit de Catalunya - home of the Spanish GP since the early 90s.

"We still have a lot of room to finalise the details of the renewal," he told Spanish publications.

His comments come as the circuit reveals a deal with Fira de Barcelona - the city’s trade fair institution. A new company, Fira Circuit, is now in charge of managing activities at the historic Formula 1 track for the next 20 years.

Fira de Barcelona head Constanti Serrallonga played down the notion that the deal could fall apart if F1 contract negotiations with Liberty Media fail.

"Not at all," he said. "The scenario is that Fira can contribute to improving the activity of the circuit beyond Formula 1, and this makes sense in any scenario.

"The agreement is for 20 years, regardless of whether the future is with or without F1, although we hope to have F1 for many years."