Ferrari Heads to Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix with Optimism, Rookie Beganovic in FP1
Scuderia Ferrari HP arrives at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, the seventh round of the 2026 Formula 1 season, with rookie Dino Beganovic set to take Lewis Hamilton's place in Friday practice.
- 307.236 km
- 66
- 1000+
What Happened
The Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix is the first race at the Montmeló circuit under this new name, after the Spanish Grand Prix moved to the new Madring circuit in Madrid later this season. The 4.657-kilometre circuit features a mix of corners and a long main straight, and was used for the first test of the 2026 cars in January. Ferrari heads into the weekend encouraged by recent strong performances in Monaco and Canada.
“We arrive in Barcelona after two race weekends in which we have shown encouraging signs in terms of competitiveness. In Monaco and Canada we got good results, but we know there is still a lot of work to do and that we must continue to focus on ourselves. As always, our objective will be to maximise the car’s potential and continue making progress.”
6
Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton each have 6 wins at this circuit.
Why this matters
This race marks the first Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, as the Spanish Grand Prix moves to a new circuit in Madrid, and offers Ferrari a chance to build on recent improvements in competitiveness.
Terms in This Story
- FP1
- First free practice session of a Formula 1 weekend.
- SF-26
- Ferrari's 2026 Formula 1 car.
- Tifosi
- Enthusiastic Ferrari fans.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.