Negotiations to keep Formula 1 in Catalonia 'much more advanced' with news expected 'soon'

Catalonia's Business and Employment Minister, Miquel Sàmper, says that negotiations to renew the contract and keep Formula 1 in Montmeló are "much more advanced" and "are on the right track."

"I hope that we will be able to give news soon," the minister said on Wednesday at the presentation of the MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix, the other major event in the world of motor racing that is held at the circuit this coming weekend.

Sàmper remarked that the contract with F1 organizers is "very complicated, very broad, and with many ridges," and he admitted that alternating with other circuits is one of the options on the table.

The minister assured that the Catalan government is committed to renewing the contract of the event, and indicating that the will is that the F1 event is held each year, rather than intermittently.

According to Sàmper, the Grands Prix events that are contested in Montmeló generate an impact of €500 million per year and employ 2,500 people.

Thus, he assured that the figures "far exceed" the public investment made in the circuit.

MotoGP

This weekend is the first MotoGP Grand Prix event held since the Fira de Barcelona has entered the management of the circuit.

The president of Fira de Barcelona, ​​Pau Relat, said they want to consolidate the motor industry in the area, and described the nine months in which they have been operating the facility as "intense."

For now, the MotoGP race has a contract valid until 2031.

In this edition, new measures have been implemented aimed at increasing the safety of the riders, and they are working to have a new grandstand at the end of the straight ready to offer a "privileged view" of the race.