Barcelona 90% confident of keeping F1 spot

Spanish GP

Barcelona 90% confident of keeping F1 spot

It had been rumoured Zandvoort would replace it.

Matthew Scott

Saturday 11 May 2019 10:31

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Spanish Grand Prix organisers say there is a 90 per cent chance of the race remaining at the Circuit de Catalunya and on the Formula 1 calendar in 2020. The Barcelona venue had been rumoured as one likely to make way for the Hanoi street race and a return to Zandvoort next year.

F1 CEO Chase Carey is expected to announce that the Dutch Grand Prix will return to the calendar for the first time since 1985 next week, with Zandvoort set to benefit from Max Verstappen's explosion of popularity in his homeland.

Montmelo is one of several tracks yet to secure its future in F1 beyond this year – Silverstone, Mexico City and Hockenheim are also in a similar position – however the man in charge of the circuit remains confident.

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"If it's a clear game of 'go/no-go' I think today we are even more than 90 [percent]," Circuit de Catalunya president Vicenc Aguilera told RaceFans.

"We should be able to reach an agreement before the peak of the summer. I don't know if it will be July but I expect an agreement on these dates. We are preparing everything to have that.

"We have two discussions: internal discussions with my shareholders and the discussions with Liberty.

"There are two levels of discussions and we need to find a way to put everything in the right position to match the expectations of our government, our shareholders and the expectations of Liberty to make visible a new contract.

"[It] is not fixed if it should be two, three or four years. This is not a big issue, of course a big issue is economics. We are willing to have the grands prix for the next years. We are trying our best and we will keep pushing."