Fira de Barcelona and Circuits de Catalunya have signed an agreement according to which the company in formation, Fira Circuit, fully owned by Fira de Barcelona, will operate and manage the activity of Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as from 1 January 2025.
This agreement, approved today by the Board of Directors of the Circuit, is a continuation of the one approved last 16 April, when the Catalan Government authorised Circuits de Catalunya to directly award Fira the operating lease contract for the operation and management of the activity of this infrastructure.
The decision is part of the Strategic Plan of Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, approved in October 2022, which establishes the will to improve management efficiency, strengthen the commitment to digitalisation, become a benchmark in terms of sustainability, intensify the territorial rooting and diversify the activity.
The contract, which will come into force on 1 January 2025, has a duration of 20 years and establishes a payment by Fira Circuit that combines a fixed annual amount (a guaranteed minimum of €9 million in 2025 and €10 million in 2026) plus a variable amount depending on revenue (25% up to €45 million in revenue and 20% thereafter). This agreement will not affect the employees of Circuits de Catalunya, who will keep their working conditions.
The aim of the Catalan Government is to optimise the operation of the facilities so that it is no longer a facility designed exclusively for major motor racing events, through new business models related to trade fairs and congresses, healthy leisure, major musical and cultural events, and the sustainable mobility industry.
In this sense, Fira de Barcelona is the economic and social engine of the territory, one of the best platforms for business, the promotion of trade and the industrial network, the international projection of companies, the exchange of knowledge and the attraction of talent.
On the other hand, the new alliance will not affect the ownership of the assets or the ownership of the F1 and MotoGP agreements, which will remain the property of Circuits de Catalunya.
Roger Torrent, Catalan Minister of Business and Labour, and Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya President:
“The alliance with Fira Internacional de Barcelona will boost and accelerate the transformation that started a year and a half ago with the approval of the strategic plan. This agreement will consolidate Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as one of the best in the world and as a world benchmark for this type of facilities and, at the same time, it will multiply its positive impact on the economic and social network of the country”.
Jaume Collboni, Chairman of the General Council of Fira de Barcelona and Mayor of Barcelona:
The commitment of the city is not only with motor racing but also with the industry for its contribution to the economy of the country, with the creation of employment and with the decarbonisation process. The diversification of the activity of Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, as a result of the new agreement, will generate new uses for the infrastructure that will take pressure off the city of Barcelona and will offer new opportunities in the metropolitan area”.
Pau Relat, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Fira de Barcelona:
“Fira takes on this challenge with the will to put our proven experience in holding major international events at the service of a world-class infrastructure and to optimise management by diversifying its activity with congresses, trade fairs and music and leisure festivals, among others.
The operation of the Circuit will broaden our horizons and reinforce Fira’s role as an economic and social driving force”.
