Formula 1 has announced a weekend attendance figure of over 300,000 for the 2026 Barcelona Grand Prix weekend at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Over 300,000 fans attended the 2026 Barcelona Grand Prix weekend at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Lewis Hamilton claimed his first Ferrari victory on Sunday, taking his first Grand Prix win in almost two years. Meanwhile, a late race retirement for Kimi Antonelli meant that George Russell and Lando Norris joined Hamilton on the podium, in the first all-British top three since the 1968 United States Grand Prix 58 years ago.
There wasn’t too much to cheer about for the Spanish fans. Fernando Alonso recorded a disappointing retirement in his uncompetitive Aston Martin, while Carlos Sainz finished outside of the points – though his 12th place result marked Williams’ best race result at the circuit since 2018.
2026 F1 Attendance Passes Two Million
The exact attendance figure for the 2026 Barcelona Grand Prix – 301,273 – marks an increase of just under 1,000 from last year’s total of 300,286. Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya announced that the event was a sell-out on Friday, ahead of the first on-track action of the weekend. It is the largest reported attendance figure in the circuit’s history on the Formula 1 calendar. Race day attendance was a reported 124,870 – slightly down from the last race day figure announced at this track two years ago (125,210).
Total attendance across the seven rounds of the 2026 Formula 1 season to date now sits at an estimated 2.2 million. Although official figures have not been announced for races in Miami and Monaco, the best-attended races of the year to date are the Australian Grand Prix (483,934) and the Canadian Grand Prix (360,000).
With four more races over the next six weeks, the overall attendance figure is set to rise higher. Races in Austria, Britain, Belgium and Hungary all attracted weekend attendances exceeding 300,000 last year. The British Grand Prix – which had a 4-day crowd of 500,000 in 2025 – is likely to be the best-attended race of the year again in 2026. With the Landostand expanded for 2026, it is possible that the 2026 British Grand Prix could break F1’s all-time attendance record of 520,000, set at the 1995 Australian Grand Prix.
Barcelona’s Last Appearance Until 2028
Home hero Alonso admitted that this race may have been his final appearance at the Catalunya circuit. The 2026 Barcelona Grand Prix marked the end of a 35-year run of Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya appearing on the Formula 1 calendar in consecutive seasons. Formerly the host of the Spanish Grand Prix from 1991 to 2025, the track signed a new deal earlier this year which will see it appear on the calendar on a biennial basis, rotating with Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Catalunya will not appear on the schedule in 2027, 2029 or 2031.
With the Spanish Grand Prix moving to Madrid in 2026, and the first race at the new MADRING circuit set to take place in September, this season is the first since 2012 to feature two races in Spain on the schedule. The addition of another Spanish race had no impact on the attendance figure in Barcelona. The MADRING is expected to have a maximum capacity of 330,000 across the the three days of the race weekend. Tickets for the inaugural race, on September 11-13, are still available.
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