Formula 1 Gran Premio de España

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Aerial view of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, home of the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix

The history of

Formula 1 Gran Premio de España

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The Spanish Grand Prix is one of the oldest motor races in the world, first held in 1913 on the roads near Guadarrama. Over more than a century, it has wandered between circuits like a restless guest: Lasarte, Pedralbes, Jarama, Montjuïc, Jerez, and Barcelona-Catalunya have all played host. That nomadic quality is part of its character. Few races on the calendar carry such a layered, occasionally turbulent history.

Vintage Grand Prix racing car from the early era of motorsport

Ferrari Formula 1 car in the pit lane, evoking the marque's long history in the Spanish Grand Prix

1913

Spain's first Grand Prix takes to the mountain roads near Madrid.

Raw, dangerous and run on open roads near Guadarrama, Spain's 1913 Grand Prix was motorsport in its most uncompromising early form.

The first Spanish Grand Prix was held in 1913 near Guadarrama, northwest of Madrid. It was a raw, dangerous affair on open roads, typical of the era. The race would not return until 1923, when it moved to the Lasarte circuit near San Sebastián in the Basque Country, where it ran intermittently through the 1920s and 1930s.

1951

The Spanish Grand Prix enters the Formula One World Championship at Pedralbes.

Fangio clinched his first world title on Barcelona's streets in 1951; glamour and history, laid in asphalt.

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Gilles VilleneuveFerrari F1 Driver, 1977–1982

Barcelona is the circuit where you really find out if your car is good or not. It has everything: fast corners, slow corners, long straights. You cannot hide anything here.

Fernando AlonsoTwo-time F1 World Champion

The race joined the Formula One World Championship calendar in 1951, held on the Pedralbes street circuit in Barcelona. Juan Manuel Fangio won that inaugural championship round, clinching his first World Drivers' title in the process. The circuit ran along the wide Avinguda Diagonal, and the 1954 race saw Mike Hawthorn take victory for Ferrari. After that, the Spanish Grand Prix disappeared from the calendar for over a decade.

1969

The race returns, splitting between Jarama and the treacherous Montjuïc.

Formula 1 car at speed on a Grand Prix circuit

Montjuïc's beauty masked its menace; a failed rear wing in 1975 ended the street circuit's Formula One story for good.

After a 15-year absence, the Spanish Grand Prix returned in 1968 at Jarama, a tight, twisting circuit north of Madrid. From 1969, the race alternated between Jarama and the Montjuïc Park street circuit in Barcelona. Montjuïc was spectacular but perilous. In 1975, Rolf Stommelen's rear wing failed, sending his car into the crowd and killing four spectators. The race was stopped, and Montjuïc never hosted Formula One again.

1981

Gilles Villeneuve produces one of the great defensive drives at Jarama.

Villeneuve fended off four pursuing cars to win by a mere 0.22 seconds, making Jarama's final Grand Prix an instant classic.

The 1981 Spanish Grand Prix at Jarama produced one of Formula One's most celebrated races. Gilles Villeneuve, in a turbocharged Ferrari that was clearly slower on the straights, held off a train of four cars for the entire race to win by just 0.22 seconds from Jacques Laffite. It was a masterclass in positioning and bravery. The race moved away from Jarama after 1981, and the circuit never hosted another Grand Prix.

1986

Jerez de la Frontera hosts the Spanish Grand Prix for the first time.

McLaren Formula 1 car from the late 1980s era

Senna and Mansell were separated by fourteen thousandths of a second; Jerez announced itself in the most breathtaking fashion possible.

After a four-year absence, the Spanish Grand Prix found a new home at the Circuito de Jerez in Andalusia. The 1986 race delivered an instant classic: Ayrton Senna beat Nigel Mansell by just 0.014 seconds, the closest finish in F1 history at the time. Jerez hosted the race until 1990, and also staged the European Grand Prix in 1994 and 1997. The 1997 edition saw the infamous collision between Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve that decided the championship.

1991

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya opens and becomes the race's permanent home.

Red and white kerbs at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

More than three decades after Mansell's inaugural win, Montmeló remains the grid's go-to barometer for reading a new car's true character.

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Montmeló, 20 kilometres north of Barcelona, opened in 1991 and immediately took over as host of the Spanish Grand Prix. Nigel Mansell won the inaugural race. The circuit quickly became a favourite for pre-season testing thanks to its mix of high-speed and low-speed corners, which made it an excellent barometer for car performance. It has hosted the race every year since, with the exception of 2020 when no spectators were permitted due to the pandemic.

1996

Michael Schumacher wins in the rain and announces himself as a Barcelona master.

Red Bull Formula 1 car racing on a Grand Prix circuit

He lapped the field in a Ferrari nobody fancied; Barcelona was always his.

The 1996 Spanish Grand Prix was run in torrential rain, and Michael Schumacher delivered what many consider one of the greatest wet-weather drives in history. In a Ferrari that was far from the best car on the grid, he lapped all but three drivers. Schumacher would go on to win the Spanish Grand Prix six times, a record he shares with Lewis Hamilton.

2016

Max Verstappen becomes the youngest ever Grand Prix winner at Barcelona.

Formula 1 car racing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya during the Spanish Grand Prix

Eighteen years old, first race for a new team, youngest winner in the sport's history. Some debuts are quieter than others.

The 2016 Spanish Grand Prix will be remembered for two things. First, Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg collided on the opening lap, taking each other out and blowing the race wide open. Then Max Verstappen, in his very first race for Red Bull after being promoted from Toro Rosso, won at the age of 18 years and 228 days, becoming the youngest Grand Prix winner in history. It was a record that still stands.

2026

The Spanish Grand Prix moves to Madrid's new purpose-built circuit.

Fernando Alonso celebrating on the Formula 1 podium, representing Spain's deep connection to the sport

Madrid reclaims its place on the Formula 1 calendar for the first time since the Jarama era.

After more than three decades at Barcelona-Catalunya, the Spanish Grand Prix is set to move to a new purpose-built circuit in Madrid from 2026. The Madrid venue, located around the IFEMA convention centre, will feature a 5.47-kilometre layout designed by Tilke Engineers. It marks a return to the Spanish capital for the first time since the Jarama era, and a new chapter for one of the sport's most enduring races.

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