Official: Barcelona-Valencia Alternation from 2013
Barcelona and Valencia have signed a new contract with Bernie Ecclestone for the alternating hosting of the Spanish Grand Prix. This rotation will start in 2013 in Barcelona.
The alternating organization of the Spanish Grand Prix had been in the air for several months already due to the financial difficulties encountered by the organizers of the European Grand Prix and also by the officials of the Circuit de Catalunya. The alternation is now a reality. Marca announced the signing of a contract between Valencia, Barcelona, and Bernie Ecclestone for hosting the Spanish Grand Prix.
The alternation between the two circuits should begin as early as 2013 – next year, Barcelona will start the alternation by hosting the Spanish Grand Prix. Then it will be Valencia’s turn in 2014 and so on. The contract signed by the three parties – Valencia, Barcelona, and FOM – would span 6 years, from 2013 to 2019.
Bernie Ecclestone confirmed the information published by the Spanish press. The FOM boss, who manages commercial rights, explained that the contract was signed and that the alternation was the best solution for Spain.
The officials of the Valencia and Barcelona circuits have agreed that the best solution is alternation, and now we are trying to set the dates. It’s simply to see how we can help Valencia, and by alternating with Barcelona, we can help because it is a good solution, Ecclestone told the radio Valencia-Cadena SER.
Spain is therefore assured of hosting a Formula 1 Grand Prix for several more years, while the contracts for Valencia and Barcelona were set to expire in 2014 and 2016, respectively. This alternation will help reduce operating costs for both organizers, as each circuit will only pay the F1 hosting fees every other year.
Ecclestone also confided that he was delighted with this alternation because he really wanted to continue going to Valencia: « We really want to go to Valencia. Everyone is happy there, both the teams and the sponsors, and it would have been a shame to miss out on such an event. »
This alternation also has another effect because with the removal of a race from the calendar – the European Grand Prix, it should facilitate the addition of new destinations to the calendar, such as New Jersey in 2013 or Russia in 2014.
