Fernando Alonso begins new Barcelona GP role as 2026 axe looms

Aston Martin F1 star Fernando Alonso has been planting trees at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, as part of his new role.

Barcelona's circuit will be the first of two occasions that the F1 season will visit Spain in 2026, with the introduction of a street circuit in the capital set to be the new Spanish Grand Prix.

That race will see drivers fly past a number of Madrid's attractions in September, but only after the renamed 'Barcelona Grand Prix' has taken centre stage in June.

Drivers and teams also head to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya next month for the first pre-season testing event of the year, with a five-day shakedown taking place behind closed doors before official testing begins in Bahrain in February.

Despite all of this action at the circuit in 2026, it is yet to be confirmed whether or not F1 is going to be returning there in 2027, with the circuit's contract set to run out after the 2026 event.

F1 have dropped Imola from the calendar as to avoid having two races in the same country during the European leg, so there's every indication that they might do the same with Barcelona after 2026, with the introduction of Madrid.

Nevertheless, the circuit organisers are preparing for the future, planting over 200 trees recently as part of a project aimed at strengthening its environmental and economic sustainability.

And F1 star Alonso - who was recently announced to be taking on an ambassador role for the racing circuit - has been pictured chipping in himself with the tree-planting work, working hard with shovel in hand.

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 looking to 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.

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