F1 fans wait for 5 hours to see Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz in Barcelona ahead of Grand Prix

Catalan F1 fans have been waiting for over five hours to see Spanish Formula 1 drivers Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz on Wednesday afternoon in Barcelona, ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix taking place this weekend.

Under a heavy sun, thousands queued at Plaça de Catalunya to enjoy the F1 Fan Village show with current and former F1 drivers, as well as F2 and F3 drivers.

Among the 2,000 spectators, many awaited Fernando Alonso, many dressed in Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team merchandise, from jerseys to hats.

"My idea is to see Fernando Alonso," Ainara told Catalan News, a message shared by Marc, who had been waiting for over five hours under the heavy sun and warm temperatures surpassing 25ºC.

He became a F1 fan recently through social media videos, but is also interested in F1 history. Despite looking forward to seeing Alonso, he also knew he would get to see Carlos Sainz, F1 driver of the Atlassian Williams Racing team.

Hugo arrived at 1pm at Plaça Catalunya and started queuing to "get a good spot." "Obviously," he told Catalan News, "to see Alonso, and also Sainz."

During the last years, Hugo pointed out that F1 was not as followed across Catalonia as it was in 2005-2006, when Alonso was competing at the first level, "but events like this one work very well."

In fact, Marc also agreed with Hugo, as he said that "it is positive to do events such as this one, as it is a tourist opportunity." Marc had walked towards the start of the line where there "were people speaking in English, and they had crossed the whole world just to be here at Plaça Catalunya, and this helps Catalonia's visibility worldwide," he told this media outlet.

Marta and Clara, two F1 fans and friends, had been waiting for 3:30h as they "always see them on television, but seeing them in person is better," they both noted.

"It is a good decision to do this event, as we are close and we cannot access the race track, and it is a way of having them close and free," both added in reference to the Spanish F1 Grand Prix taking place over the weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

De la Rosa and Gené

Accompanying Alonso and Sainz were Spain's Pedro Martínez de la Rosa, ambassador of Alonso's team, as well as Marc Gené, ambassador of the Scuderia Ferrari HP. Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One Team team principal Laurent Mekies also joined the event in front of the 2,000 fans.

Fans also got to see F2 Catalan driver Pepe Martí, who drives for Campos Racing, and F3 drivers Mari Boya and Bruno del Pino, who drive for Campos Racing and MP Motorsport, respectively.

In fact, both drivers, Martí and Boya, already know Barcelona's city center, as in 2024, both drove on the Passeig de Gràcia boulevard in a F1 road show organized ahead of the GP. At the event, there were over 30,000 spectators.

F1 Fan Village

Barcelona's Plaça de Catalunya is the home of F1 fans until Saturday with several activities and simulators to enjoy the competition.

Attendees of the free event will also see an exposition, take part in workshops, and enjoy several concerts on site.

There are some of the most unique F1 simulators, a Pit Stop Challenge, and a replica podium for fans to take photos on. And also replicas of the F1 showcars from Ferrari and Red Bull, as well as a box of Aston Martin.

Coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the F1 championship, and the 50th anniversary of the last F1 race in Montjuïc, officials have prepared an exhibition for visitors to see a Maserati 250F car, a Lotus 49R10, or a Benetton B192.