Guide to the 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix as F1 hits the first traditional European race circuit of the season.
Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli arrives at this event with a 66-point title lead over Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton as F1 now hits the traditional European circuits of the season for the first time, but this circuit will mark a chance for teams to challenge their progress since the first pre-season test here in January.
This race also marks the first of two home events this season for Williams’ Carlos Sainz and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, following the decision to move the official title of the Spanish Grand Prix from Barcelona to a new circuit in Madrid which will run between 11-13 September.
Antonelli and Williams’ Alex Albon however will be giving up their FP1 seats to Frederik Vesti and Luke Browning respectively, whilst Leonardo Fornaroli will step in at McLaren for Lando Norris in the first of two mandatory FP1 skips for race drivers this season.
Red Bull will field Ayumu Iwasa in place of Isack for FP1, whilst Colton Herta is set to step in at Cadillac for Sergio Perez in that session.
Paul Aron will step in for Nico Hulkenberg at Audi, whilst Dino Beganovic will fill in for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari in the opening practice session.
Now, here is a full guide to everything that you need to know ahead of 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
Track Guide
Laps: 66
Race Distance: 307.104km
Tyre Selection: C2, C3, C4
Schedule
| Date | Session | Time (BST) |
| Friday 12 June | FP1 | 12:30pm |
| Friday 12 June | FP2 | 4:00pm |
| Saturday 13 June | FP3 | 11:30am |
| Saturday 13 June | Qualifying | 3:00pm |
| Sunday 14 June | Race | 2:00pm |
Five Key Pointers
- Given that this race often sees many teams bring upgrades, it wouldn’t be a surprise if every team has at least one upgrade for the first traditional European circuit of the season
- Six of the last eight Spanish Grands Prix have been won from pole position so Qualifying will be crucial for maximising track position come the race.
- Having seen an upturn in form in Canada and Monaco, Ferrari and Hamilton in particular will be hoping for another strong performance.
- This weekend will mark a proper chance for Haas to assess their recent upgrades after contending with a sprint weekend in Canada then the challenging maximum downforce nature of Monaco.
- Williams missed the Barcelona-Catalunya pre-season test in January but given the colder temperatures then, they shouldn’t be too disadvantaged despite missing out on valuable data with hot temperatures forecast.
Last Time Out
Oscar Piastri headed Lando Norris in a McLaren one-two around Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in 2025, as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished third.
George Russell finished fourth after a fiery clash with Max Verstappen on the penultimate lap, which saw the latter punished with a 10-second time penalty, which dropped him to 10th in the classification.
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