Ferrari at Barcelona: WEC debuts at Montmeló for the season's penultimate round
The FIA World Endurance Championship will race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the first time, in the penultimate round of the season, replacing the event originally scheduled for Qatar.
- 4.657 km
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What Happened
For the first time in its history, the FIA World Endurance Championship is organising a round at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, one of the best-known and most prestigious venues on the international stage. The Spanish circuit hosts the penultimate round of the season, replacing the event that had originally been scheduled to take place in Qatar. Scuderia Ferrari HP comes to a track whose name, Montmeló, is closely linked with the Prancing Horse.
The circuit is located in Montmeló, around 20 kilometres north-east of Barcelona, and was inaugurated in 1991 ahead of the Olympic Games the following year. At 4.657 kilometres in length, its layout features 14 corners — eight right-handers and six left-handers — and is considered extremely well balanced. It is one of the circuits most widely used for both testing and competitions across a variety of sprint and endurance championships, and it will host the Finali Mondiali Ferrari in November 2026.
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- Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is inaugurated ahead of the Olympic Games the following year.
Michael Schumacher claims his first victory at the wheel of a Ferrari at the circuit.
The 296 GT3 scores a one-two in the Barcelona 3 Hours, a round of the GT World Challenge Europe – Endurance Cup.
The 296 LMGT3 wins the 4-hour ELMS race with Nicklas Nielsen, Johnny Laursen and Conrad Laursen.
The circuit hosts the WEC's penultimate round instead of Qatar, and the Formula 1 event is renamed the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix as the Madring circuit debuts and takes the Spanish Grand Prix name.
- In Formula 1, Scuderia Ferrari HP is the most successful team at the Catalan circuit, with nine victories to date.
- Lewis Hamilton took his first win as a Ferrari driver there in 2026.
- Michael Schumacher claimed his first victory at the wheel of a Ferrari at the circuit in the 1996 season.
- In 2023 the 296 GT3 scored a one-two in the Barcelona 3 Hours, a GT World Challenge Europe – Endurance Cup round, with overall victory for Alessio Rovera, Nicklas Nielsen and Robert Shwartzman ahead of Antonio Fuoco, Davide Rigon and Daniel Serra.
- In 2024 the 296 LMGT3 driven by Nielsen together with Johnny and Conrad Laursen won the 4-hour ELMS race.
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35 of them under the Spanish Grand Prix name; Scuderia Ferrari HP leads the winners' list with nine victories.
Previously from Ferrari N.V.
Ferrari's current Formula 1 season has featured Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc racing together for the team. Hamilton qualified second for the Bahrain Grand Prix at Malaysia's Sepang circuit, and the pair went on to finish third and fourth, giving Ferrari its tenth podium of the season.
- Hamilton second, Leclerc fourth for Ferrari on the Bahrain Grand Prix grid at Sepang
- Hamilton and Leclerc finish third and fourth as Ferrari take tenth podium of the season in Bahrain Grand Prix
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Ferrari N.V.'s official releases.
Why this matters
A new venue on the WEC calendar gives teams and fans a first endurance round at a circuit best known for Formula 1 and GT racing. It matters for Ferrari followers because Montmeló is the track where the marque has its strongest Formula 1 record and where its GT cars have won, and the circuit will also host the Finali Mondiali Ferrari in November 2026.
Terms in This Story
- FIA World Endurance Championship
- The international sports car racing series organised by motorsport's world governing body, built around long-distance races.
- Hypercar
- The top class of prototype racing cars in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
- ELMS
- The European Le Mans Series, a European endurance racing championship.
- GT3
- A widely used category of production-based GT racing cars, raced in many national and international series.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.