F1 announce Barcelona update in unprecedented 2026 confirmation

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F1 announce Barcelona update in unprecedented 2026 confirmation

Barcelona will play host to pre-season testing

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Monday 30 June 2025 12:46 Updated: 13:17

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The current home of the Spanish Grand Prix has been announced to be part of an unprecedented testing schedule ahead of the 2026 F1 season.

Barcelona's place on the F1 calendar has been under threat due to the addition of the Madrid Street Circuit in 2026, but both races will be on the schedule for the 2026 season.

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Now, it's also been confirmed that the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will be used for pre-season testing ahead of wholesale regulation changes sweeping into the sport.

The track will host five days of testing in January 2026, before two extra three-day sessions in Bahrain make up an unprecedented 11-day testing schedule ahead of the season.

2026 regulation changes are some of the biggest the sport has ever seen, with both engine and car design changes being implemented, and F1 have decided that teams will need more than the usual three-day testing scheduled before the start of most F1 seasons.

When will 2026 pre-season testing be?

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya - which may not be on the F1 calendar after the end of its current contract which ends in 2026 - will host five days of testing between January 26-30, meaning official 2026 running begins just seven weeks after the end of the mammoth 2025 season.

Bahrain's first three-day testing schedule will take place between February 11-13, before another three days at the circuit between February 18-20.

The F1 season then starts properly with the Australian Grand Prix weekend, which begins on March 6.

2026 will once again be the joint-longest F1 season in history, with 24 races making up the calendar, exacerbating concerns drivers have had about the amount of travel and driving they have to do each season.

Barcelona organisers will be happy to try and prove that their circuit deserves to remain on the calendar beyond 2026, however, with all eyes set to be on the circuit as early as January as the new cars are rolled out for the first time.

F1 Spanish Grand Prix Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya