1111th F1 GRAND PRIX | 64th SPANISH GRAND PRIX | 34th GRAND PRIX AT CIRCUIT DE BARCELONA-CATALUNYA
2023 POLESITTER: MAX VERSTAPPEN | 2023 WINNER: MAX VERSTAPPEN
On the calendar since 1991, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has been host of the Spanish Grand Prix for over 30 years. The 2024 Spanish Grand Prix is set to take place on June 21-23.
2024 SPANISH GRAND PRIX: WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday June 21
Free Practice 1 – 1:30pm Local Time / 12:30pm UK Time
Free Practice 2 – 5pm Local Time / 4pm UK Time
Saturday June 22
Free Practice 3 – 12:30pm Local Time / 11:30am UK Time
Qualifying – 4pm Local Time / 3pm UK Time
Sunday June 23
The 2024 Spanish Grand Prix – 3pm Local Time / 2pm UK Time
2024 SPANISH GRAND PRIX: WEEKEND MILESTONES
Lewis Hamilton currently shares the record for most Spanish Grand Prix wins with Michael Schumacher. Victory for Hamilton at the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix would be a record-breaking seventh win at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
A win for Max Verstappen at the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix would make him only the third driver – after Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton – to have won the Spanish Grand Prix four times.
Ferrari lead the way for most wins at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with eighth. Mercedes could equal their record tally at the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix.
READ MORE IN MILESTONES AND RECORDS TO BREAK
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 2024 SPANISH GRAND PRIX
WHAT HAS CHANGED AT THE CIRCUIT SINCE LAST YEAR?
There have been only minor track changes at Catalunya since last season. Concrete verges have been repaired, extended and repainted at various turns – including Turns 2, 7, 13 and 14. There is a new marshal post at Turn 12 and all stickers have been removed from the pit lane surface.
HOW MANY DRS ZONES WILL THERE BE AT THE 2024 SPANISH GRAND PRIX?
Like last year, there’ll be two DRS zones at the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix. Activation zones are on the main straight and between Turns 9 & 10.
CIRCUIT DE BARCELONA-CATALUNYA TRACK GUIDE
The Spanish Grand Prix moved homes plenty of times before it settled at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in 1991. The track is well known by drivers and mechanics thanks to extensive testing.
Spain has one of the longest histories with motorsport, with the first Spanish Grand Prix taking place in 1913 on a road circuit near Madrid. Another race was held ten years later, after the First World War, at the Autódromo de Sitges-Terramar, before Grand Prix racing found a more permanent home at the Circuito Lasarte. The racing was popular, but was halted when the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936.
Racing returned in the 1950s, as Spain hosted a Formula 1 race for the first time at the Pedralbes circuit. Between 1968 and 1975, the sport visited the Circuito del Jarama and the Montjuïc circuit on a yearly rotation, before the latter hosted the Spanish Grand Prix consistently between 1976 and 1981 following a crash which killed four spectators at the Montjuïc circuit.
In 1986, the new Jerez circuit was built to host the Spanish Grand Prix, though this only lasted for five seasons before the event moved to another new venue – the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya.
READ MORE IN OUR ULTIMATE TRACK GUIDE
WHO WILL BE IN THE 2024 SPANISH GRAND PRIX PRESS CONFERENCES?
The world’s media will have the opportunity to talk to the drivers ahead of the on-track action. The drivers appearing in the press conference for this race are:
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Valtteri Bottas (Kick Sauber)
Daniel Ricciardo (RB)
The media will also be talking to prominent members of Formula 1’s teams in a separate press conference over the race weekend. The team members appearing in the press conference are:
Bruno Famin (Alpine)
Fred Vasseur (Ferrari)
Alessandro Alunni Bravi (Kick Sauber)
Toto Wolff (Mercedes)
WHO WILL BE THE RACE DIRECTOR AT THE 2024 SPANISH GRAND PRIX?
Niels Wittich will be the race director at the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix.
WHO WILL BE THE DRIVER STEWARD AT THE 2024 SPANISH GRAND PRIX?
Each weekend a former Formula 1 driver, or a driver from another prominent series of motorsport, joins the stewards to help judge any incidents from a drivers’ perspective. The Driver Steward this weekend is Vitantonio Liuzzi.
WHICH TYRE COMPOUNDS WILL BE USED AT THE 2024 SPANISH GRAND PRIX?
Pirelli will supply the C1, C2 and C3 tyre compounds at the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix. The C1, C2 and C3 compounds were also used in 2023.
WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME AT THE SPANISH GRAND PRIX?
Verstappen dominated the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix to bring home a comfortable win ahead of the two Mercedes drivers.
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya reverted to its previous layout for the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix, bypassing the chicane in the final sector. That saw lap times plummet in qualifying compared to 2022, with Max Verstappen – who was fastest in all three practice sessions – taking pole position.
Charles Leclerc was caught out by improving track conditions and recorded a surprise elimination in Q1, while both Sergio Perez and George Russell were out in Q2 – the latter making contact with team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages of the session.
While Spain’s Fernando Alonso was out-qualified by team-mate Lance Stroll for the first time in 2023, the other Spaniard, Carlos Sainz, gave the home crowd something to cheer about as he lined up on the front row. Despite getting his nose ahead at Turn 1, Verstappen maintained the lead on the opening lap of Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Lando Norris had to make an early pit stop after first lap contact with Hamilton, with the Mercedes driver soon making his way past Stroll for third place on Lap 8. The opening laps featured plenty of overtaking, with the removal of the chicane clearly helping matters. Out of position starters Leclerc, Russell and Perez all benefited from the ample overtaking opportunities.
By Lap 21, most drivers had made their first pit stops, with the exception of the Red Bull and Mercedes drivers. The race leader made his first stop at the end of Lap 26, when he held a near 30-second lead over team-mate Perez. Lap 35 saw Russell overtake Sainz for third place, leaving Verstappen leading the two Mercedes drivers.
Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon went wheel-to-wheel on the main straight at the start of Lap 51, with Alonso completing a series of overtaking manoeuvres to climb to seventh place, despite the Alpine’s late defensive moves. Closer to the front, in the battle for fourth, Perez overtook Sainz with an overtake at the same spot.
Verstappen won the race by over 20 seconds, followed across the line by Hamilton and Russell. Completing his domination of the weekend, Verstappen secured the additional point for the fastest lap.
WHAT’S THE FASTEST EVER LAP AT THE SPANISH GRAND PRIX?
Attending the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix? Learn more about visiting Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in the F1Destinations Travel Guide.